"maternity leave"

HarleenQuinz86 · April 2015

My job doesn't have maternity leave per say they have fmla or some other thing that has to do with disabilities I forget what it's called... either way they usually cover about 6 to 8 weeks unpaid maybe 12 if I'm lucky. I'm trying to save up as much pto as I can, how much time do you think is a good amount? I would like to try for at least 12 weeks but I'm not 100% sure how long fmla covers so I don't know how long to put for pto I need.... it's all so confusing and the new HR person I can hardly understand when she tries to explain things.

Miz_Liz · April 2015

I took 13 weeks with DS, it was going to be 12, but then we had a day care issue that caused me to need another week. I wished I had longer, but I was grateful I did not have to go back after 6 weeks like some moms have to do.

PixelPosy · April 2015

Can you ask for some benefit and leave literature from HR? Maybe that will help. FMLA only offers protection that you can return to your job, or similar position. It is 12 weeks. If you qualify for short term disability the coverage can vary but typically starts after a week of PTO is used. Unless you have complications, most cover an additional (after week of pto) 5 weeks for vaginal and 7 for c-section. So that takes you up to 6-8 weeks with some pay. My company pays 100% of my salary for STD after 3 years of service. Most people want to take the full FMLA 12 weeks so what isn't covered by STD is unpaid. We also have the option to cash out PTO.

HarleenQuinz86 · April 2015

PixelPosy said:
Can you ask for some benefit and leave literature from HR? Maybe that will help. FMLA only offers protection that you can return to your job, or similar position. It is 12 weeks. If you qualify for short term disability the coverage can vary but typically starts after a week of PTO is used. Unless you have complications, most cover an additional (after week of pto) 5 weeks for vaginal and 7 for c-section. So that takes you up to 6-8 weeks with some pay. My company pays 100% of my salary for STD after 3 years of service. Most people want to take the full FMLA 12 weeks so what isn't covered by STD is unpaid. We also have the option to cash out PTO.

This sounds similar to what she was trying to explain to me but I'm still really confused. I think I need to just start looking it up and asking more questions. I've started the paperwork for the disability thing and had my ob full out a form about work restrictions. I'm just lost on where to go from here and how do I know when I need to stop working? I don't want to go into labor at work but I do want to work as much as possible to build more pto and because I love my job and being at home all day is not so fun for me after being a stuck at home mom for 6 years with my horrible ex (stay at home mom would have been fun but I was stuck so please no one take offense).

cailin85 · April 2015

I'm assuming you are in the states. I live in Ireland and I thought it was bad enough having 6 months paid leave, then the option of 16 weeks unpaid and then I can take my holidays. Often ends up close to being off for a whole year! I will definitely keep my mouth shut from now on and be greatful. I don't know how yer government don't address this issue! It's shameful for them. It's basic health promotion. Promoting family wellbeing.

laurasuzanne2006 · April 2015

Fmla just gives job security. Bi have to use accrued pto and short term disability. Will probably only be 7-8 weeks. I'm working until I have the baby

malonc2 · April 2015

I agree. Maternity leave in this country is shameful. My school district allows us to take 8 weeks off but I will need to use my personal sick days to cover. Then I have until 12 weeks with FMLA but it's unpaid. Still undecided if I will take the full 12 or just the 8.

Perfect Sonnet · April 2015

FMLA guarantees you 12 weeks of unpaid time off and job security. Some companies don't have to honor FMLA though (something like less than 50 employees...I can't remember). I work for the federal government, so I also get no paid leave options offered to me by my employer other than my own leave time or the leave bank after I have depleted my leave. I think this is something you have to take a hard a look at: look at how much leave you will have when your baby is born, how much time you want to take off, and how much of your salary your family will need to maintain the lifestyle and savings you want.

Personally, I will be out of the office for 12 weeks taking 20 hours of sick leave, working when I can/want to from home, and filling in the time with unpaid leave. After 12 weeks, I will start easing back into the office a couple days a week, but will be teleworking mostly.

Are you sure your company doesn't offer short term disability for pregnancy? A lot of private sector companies do. This would give you about 65% of your salary for the first 6-8 weeks of your leave.

holli0801 · April 2015

Agreed that the U.S. is so far behind!!! It does make me sad because staying at home a whole year would be amazing!

I had two jobs (I work way too much) and left my small non profit to have enough hours at the large hospital to qualify for FMLA, get the 12 weeks off (for us we have to use all PTO, then can do short term disability). Another two weeks can be requested. And I may go back part time (still enough for health benefitS) after that.

It sounds like you'll get FMLA, so up to 12 weeks off. You'll just want to know how much PTO you need to use before short term disability to kick in (unless you don't want it). And see if they have any extra programs. Some large organizations have prenatal programs (money or incentives for good pre natal care) or some type of wellness program. Or extra leave if you request it.

lvrunningirlie · April 2015

Here's how ours works:

- Under FMLA you can take up to 12 weeks of maternity leave

- However, you can only get paid for 6 weeks (8 if you have a c - section) and your pay only comes from sick days you've built up. So if you don't have 6 weeks of sick days built up you'll get paid for whatever you do have.

So since I'll have more than 6 weeks worth of sick leave built up, I can still only get paid for 6 weeks of my maternity leave and take additional time without pay if I want to under FMLA.

benmel31 · April 2015

I agree with what was said that you can only get 6 or 8 weeks paid unless you job has other policies and that FMLA allows for 12w of maternity leave. Some jobs have other policies in place that you can take longer and still have your job protected, however you need to have medical insurance coverage from elsewhere (either your SO or cobra).

I took 14w total last time. I have 8w paid and my district allowed 2 bonus weeks over FLMA.

This time, because of timing and finances, I am most likely only going to take 10w because I will have only 4w paid leave because I just don't have as many sick days as last time.

2gr8pits · April 2015

My company didn't qualify for FMLA with my first, look up the government guidelines. It is probably beyond your enrollment period but if you have STD then you can take that, that is what i did for 6 weeks and then I took my 2 weeks PTO for the year he was born (December) and my 2 weeks the following year in February so I had 10 weeks off. Basically the US is lacking in maternity coverage and it is sad :-(

aminser · April 2015

The maternity coverage in the US is sad...especially when I read our bump friends from other countires! I work at a large university...however...I will only be here 11 months and a few days so I will not qualify for FMLA and am so upset by this. So, they will only grant me "a special unpaid status" for whatever my doctor writes me up fo...6 weeks or 8 weeks. I am going to have to beg my doctor for more time off as i can NOT leave my 6 week old in daycare I don't think...I do have have short term disability so that is good for some income...however my work also makes us take ALL of our sick time first...leaving us no sick time for when our newborns (or my toddler) get sick following maternity leave. It just seems like it is totally setting up new moms for failure. I REALLY want to stay at home but because of my awesome insurance, no deductible and low premium, it just won't happen. I think the whole thing is really sad. With my son, I had the full FMLA and 12 weeks was good...still not enough...but we lived near family who could help keep him for the first year. We have been relocated and don't have that option. Any way we look at , maternity leave at most companies is just sad.

PixelPosy · April 2015

HarleenQuinz86 said:

PixelPosy said:
Can you ask for some benefit and leave literature from HR? Maybe that will help. FMLA only offers protection that you can return to your job, or similar position. It is 12 weeks. If you qualify for short term disability the coverage can vary but typically starts after a week of PTO is used. Unless you have complications, most cover an additional (after week of pto) 5 weeks for vaginal and 7 for c-section. So that takes you up to 6-8 weeks with some pay. My company pays 100% of my salary for STD after 3 years of service. Most people want to take the full FMLA 12 weeks so what isn't covered by STD is unpaid. We also have the option to cash out PTO.
This sounds similar to what she was trying to explain to me but I'm still really confused. I think I need to just start looking it up and asking more questions. I've started the paperwork for the disability thing and had my ob full out a form about work restrictions. I'm just lost on where to go from here and how do I know when I need to stop working? I don't want to go into labor at work but I do want to work as much as possible to build more pto and because I love my job and being at home all day is not so fun for me after being a stuck at home mom for 6 years with my horrible ex (stay at home mom would have been fun but I was stuck so please no one take offense).

The STD policy my company has allows you to start your leave 1 week prior to your due date, I don't know if that's common, but something you could ask. I'd guess most companies wouldn't offer much beyond that unless it was medically necessary to be off work. You could also put in a request for PTO if being off before birth is important. You'll have to ask how that PTO request affects the start of your STD benefits once baby is here.

CaliforniaDream87 · April 2015

HarleenQuinz86 said:
My job doesn't have maternity leave per say they have fmla or some other thing that has to do with disabilities I forget what it's called... either way they usually cover about 6 to 8 weeks unpaid maybe 12 if I'm lucky. .

Maternity leave falls under FMLA. In regards to how much time you take is really up to you. Can you afford to take a longer leave with no pay? Again, that's all up to your family needs. Also, I would suggest requesting to speak to an HR representative who can really explain everything to you. dealing with state disability and FMLA laws aren't easy especially when you've never done it before.

tarheelgirl8 · April 2015

cailin85 said:
I'm assuming you are in the states. I live in Ireland and I thought it was bad enough having 6 months paid leave, then the option of 16 weeks unpaid and then I can take my holidays. Often ends up close to being off for a whole year! I will definitely keep my mouth shut from now on and be greatful. I don't know how yer government don't address this issue! It's shameful for them. It's basic health promotion. Promoting family wellbeing.

I realize that this is very off topic to OPs question, but do you find that women in Ireland make significantly less than men in the same industry? Or take longer to get promoted? I agree that maternity leave laws in the US need some updating....paid leave during the 12 week FMLA coverage would be great. However, I honestly can't imagine taking off a full year during this formative time in my career. Much less doing it twice in 4-5 years. (We plan on having two kids.) That would seriously stunt my career! I'd also imagine that it would make it harder for young females to get hired in the first place. Of course, maybe in Ireland the culture is so different that it's not a problem. If the US adopted those rules tomorrow, I think the hiring of young women would decline, and the gender wage gap would grow significantly.

Perfect Sonnet · April 2015

tarheelgirl8 said:

cailin85 said:
I'm assuming you are in the states. I live in Ireland and I thought it was bad enough having 6 months paid leave, then the option of 16 weeks unpaid and then I can take my holidays. Often ends up close to being off for a whole year! I will definitely keep my mouth shut from now on and be greatful. I don't know how yer government don't address this issue! It's shameful for them. It's basic health promotion. Promoting family wellbeing.
I realize that this is very off topic to OPs question, but do you find that women in Ireland make significantly less than men in the same industry? Or take longer to get promoted? I agree that maternity leave laws in the US need some updating....paid leave during the 12 week FMLA coverage would be great. However, I honestly can't imagine taking off a full year during this formative time in my career. Much less doing it twice in 4-5 years. (We plan on having two kids.) That would seriously stunt my career! I'd also imagine that it would make it harder for young females to get hired in the first place. Of course, maybe in Ireland the culture is so different that it's not a problem. If the US adopted those rules tomorrow, I think the hiring of young women would decline, and the gender wage gap would grow significantly.

I am curious about this, too. I think even given the opportunity, I would not take a year off of work.

jessyluscious77 · April 2015

I have to admit, I'm glad I work in NJ. NJ is one of the 5 (yes, only 5) US states that pay temporary disability benefits and offer additional Family Leave Insurance. I will get a total of 18 weeks paid (at 66% of my pay) by the state of NJ. That includes temporary disability of 4 weeks before my due date, 6-8 weeks after (I will get 8 because I'm having a c-section), and then the additional 6 weeks for family leave. If I have to go out on disability earlier or stay out later, I will get paid for that too.

Honestly, I don't know how other moms do it without such benefits. What a financial burden to place on new parents!

aminser · April 2015

Go New Jersey...that is awesome. I didn't know any states did that....hopefully more join up soon.

ashorkey · April 2015

I'm in HR and get these kinds of questions frequently. As long as you meet the minimum requirements (12months of service and a minimum of 1250(?) hours worked) you qualify for FMLA. Most companies allow you to start leave before your due date but note that FMLA kicks in when you stop working and not after the baby is born. In regards to STD if it is a vaginal birth you get 6weeks partially paid (govt regulation is a max of 66.6% of salary) and if it's a c-section you can get up to 8 weeks with the same benefits. Many companies also have STD and FMLA run concurrently.

I'm planning on working up to the birth personally because I won't meet the requirements for FMLA due to starting at my new company in January. My company will grant me up to 6 additional weeks of unpaid leave on top of my STD but I'd rather not risk baby coming late and then wasting some of those weeks by just being at home. I'm also not too concerned about going into labor at work bc my husband works only 2 miles away so he can be with me within 5 minutes in the event something happens.

cailin85 · April 2015

Hey ladies, just to respond to your queries in relation to how things work for us in Ireland. To be honest, our laws around maternity leave and hiring women versus men are very good so generally that doesn't cause too much hassle. I would like to say that I am a Midwife and work for the state as a public sector employee so I benefit from the full paid maternity leave for 6 months. If your company don't give you this then you qualify for the state benefit of around €200 a week for those 6 months and then you get the option of 16 weeks unpaid no matter what. We also then get something called parental leave which is great. For me it means I can take an extra day off work every week when I do go back. This is unpaid but it's fantastic as I won't feel I'm back full time. This is about 600 hours which can be taken. (we are spoilt) but to answer your question, I guess men are slightly more dominant in the work place but women having their babies and making their family is respected. It's seen as something that is necessary. The size of families defo has changed though. 3 kids is more the norm now. Compared with 5 or 6 before. I'm one of 7.
Also paternity leave is becoming more common. My SO is getting 2 weeks paid leave once baby comes. He's delighted!!

I worked in Holland for a bit, you guys need to check out their system. It's amazing. They get a nurse in for the first 8 weeks to look after you, your house cleaning, cooking, minding other kids. Fantastic!!!
I wish all of you didn't have this extra worry and concern at this time xxx

ambercdc · April 2015

My company offers 16 weeks fully paid with insurance benefits too, and we have PTO that keeps accruing during that time so I have to take off at least 5 months (1 as PTO) or id lose PTO (we can only roll over 6 weeks per year)

Companies can offer whatever they want to, and a lot of big tech firms offer something similar to mine. I agree the required offering by the Federal govt is awful. Paid leave should be mandatory.

I'll be taking the 5 months which will get me to Jan 2016 which seems like a good time to jump back in.

cosplaymom · April 2015

If you are trying to get straight answers from HR here are some things you will want to ask about:

- do I qualify for FMLA (see above guidelines mentioned)?
- does my state have any additional non-paid time off allowed? (washington state also has FMA on top of FMLA leave)
-is there more time off allowed for c-section?
- is there any short term disability insurance that would cover pay or partial pay during my time off?
- can I take sick leave or vacation to have money coming in during my leave and/or to extend my leave? If so, how does this overlap withe fmla covered time off? (Example: if FMLA protects you for 6 weeks off, can you take 4 weeks of sick leave and 2 weeks of vacation to be paid during that time? If you add 2 more weeks of vacation, or would you be in danger of losing your job if you did not return right after 6 weeks even though you have vacation time still? )

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