Teachers

tJaffe · November 2015

Any other teachers here?

If so, how are you handling maternity leave? Are you going out before baby arrives or waiting until your water breaks? Are you leaving detailed plans or basic ones?

This is my first baby and I have only been in my district for three years so I have a limited number of sick leave days, I am hopefully going to work until I go into labor to make the most of the sick leave pay. My baby is due the 28th, and we're on Spring Break the week before so hoping my water breaks then and not in my classroom! I'm also planning on leaving basic plans. I teach 1st grade and the teacher that will be hired to replace me will be certified so they should be okay with that for the last two months.

Any ideas or thoughts?

amaniupendo · November 2015

Not a teacher, but I would work till the end.

I took a day off the week I had a baby and it drove me crazy to sit at home.

Work was a nice distraction.

parenthood4 · November 2015

I was a teacher, but stay home now. My first was born ten days after school ended, so I had that cushion. My second was due during spring break, j worked the Friday before and she was born the Monday of spring break, so her timing was great! I would always worry about going into labor in front of the kids! I would definitely work as long as you can to maximize the time at home with your baby

After my first, I took 12 weeks off at the beginning of the following school year, since he was born in June. For my second, I took 8 weeks off and went back the last two weeks of school because I was a part time resource teacher at that point and had tons of paperwork and meetings. Then I started staying home the next year.

My first I didn't really leave any plans, because my sub had worked at the school teaching the same thing as me, so it wasn't really necessary. My second I left pretty detailed plans.

alligreer88 · November 2015

Not a teacher, but we are bring in someone to cover for me starting in January- and I hate the idea!!! I hate training someone- especially 30+ weeks pregnant. First baby I worked past due date-I took off the day I was scheduled to be induced (be at hospital at 6pm) and it was the longest. Day. Ever. Of course I had everything packed and re packed and over packed by 7monthd pregnant, so we went shopping and out for a huge dinner before going to hospital. Most of the dinner came back up during labor, so I'll be avoiding that, but work as long as possible again! Not going to lie though, I might be calling in here and there or working from home some during the last month!!

aplocke93 · November 2015

I'm a second grade teacher and I plan on staying as long as I can in the classroom. I'm due the 1st but my doctor has already talked about taking me early. I have not been in my district very long this is my first year so I am only taking 6 weeks. I have the same question over plans.

smushi · November 2015

Keep in mind that a lot of people don't experience that dramatic movie water breaking. Most go into labor for awhile before that happens. Sometimes the dr has to break the water at the hospital. Just in case you were worried about needing a splash zone in your class.

Stormiewinter · November 2015

I will be working as long as I can. With Ds I was put on bedrest at 32 weeks. As it was unexpected I left no plans, however I am a special education teacher full time in a co taught room so my gen Ed teacher just took the lead until the sub was ready. I was off for 4 weeks before Ds and 12 weeks after. Took about a month unpaid.

This time we are planning for worst case (I am at higher risk for pre e again) so I have asked the district to find someone sooner. I also have a new, inexperienced teaching partner so I am already in the process of training her on day to day needs. I used all of my sick days with ds and will only have about 24 paid sick days for maternity leave so I will have to take unpaid time. I plan to take 12 weeks when the baby is born (I am a repeat c section so 8 is the minimum), but having bedrest may complicate how much time off I can afford.

JLaVO888 · November 2015

I'm going to work as long as I can. The two subs I wanted are not available so I don't know my sub. I will probably leave pretty detailed plans even though just thinking about it makes me crazy. It is going to be my big winter break project.

zephyrlt · November 2015

I am planning to work as long as possible so I have all my time saved to spend with baby. From the moms I've talked to, your water breaking rarely results in a gush, so that's a relief. I was having nightmares imagining myself teaching and suddenly unleashing a waterfall.

I'm really struggling with what I'm going to do for my plans. I received three brand new classes this year, so I'm teaching day by day. I have no idea how I'm going to make plans for 12 weeks out. I change my plans everyday, it's just my style, but I'm going to have to get more structured for the sub. I will be spending my winter break lesson planning. I wish I could ask Santa for completed sub plans. That's all I want for Christmas!

FutureMrsCaesar · November 2015

I worked until the day I went into labor with DS1, and I agree, sitting at home (unless it was for medical reasons) would have made me crazy! Work and coworkers were a nice distraction. Although I went into early labor at work, my water didn't break until at least 10pm that night when I was in active labor at the hospital. That was the only one of my babies where the water broke on it's own, and out of my 3 other friends, only 1/10 labors did the water break on its own (and that was mine). Of course that is just anecdotal but if your water breaking is your biggest fear I wouldn't let it hold you back from working until the end.

MRoxy0628 · November 2015

I'm not a teacher, but I work in a school. I plan to work until I have the baby. We have spring break the week of the 14th, so I plan to have that week at home to get things ready and spend one on one time with my daughter. I'll go back on the 21st and I'm due the 24th. If I have the baby over spring break, that'd be okay too.

My first was due on August 30th, so I actually went back to work for workshop week after having the whole summer off. I was able to work that whole week and had her on Labor Day.

I'll probably give my sub some ideas of what they can do with my groups and what we've done so far this year, but luckily I don't have to plan too much.

katy0990 · November 2015

I teach 3rd grade and it is my first year in the district, so I don't qualify for fmla. I would love to take ten weeks (including spring break) and go back for the last week so I can say goodbye to the kids and be the one to pack up my room. Then, my husband could stay home that week and we would not need child care until August. However, we will see if I will be allowed to take those 5 weeks unpaid. Thankfully, our math and reading programs are pretty scripted, so that will require less planning. I will leave fairly detailed science and social studies plans, though.

ecwk · November 2015

I just applied for leave today. Planning to work as long as I possibly can and take off until start of next academic year. I assume my sub is going to be capable enough to teach, I mean, isn't that her job? Anyway I believe they're planning on bringing back a former teacher who has retired so I'm not going to stress about leaving plans.

ClaireBear90 · November 2015

smushi said:

Keep in mind that a lot of people don't experience that dramatic movie water breaking. Most go into labor for awhile before that happens. Sometimes the dr has to break the water at the hospital. Just in case you were worried about needing a splash zone in your class.

Yes, this exactly. It's a surprisingly small percentage of women who have their water break BEFORE labor starts. It happened to me with DD, but it was a very slow trickle . . . I wasn't even sure it was my waters breaking at first. And if your water did break in front of your class, it really wouldn't be the end of the world.

It took two days from the time my water broke until DD was finally born. Firstborn babies usually take a horribly long time and labor starts slowly, so you would have ample time to get to the hospital or wherever you're going to give birth.

tJaffe · January 2016

Checking in with my fellow teachers..... How's every feeling? End of the day is the hardest for me, I start getting BH and I still have to waddle the kids out to dismiss them then make the drive home before laying down is even an option.

My kiddos are slowly driving me insane with the daily question of "is the baby still in there?" And every time I go to the doctor and need to leave early, "oh so you can have the baby come out!" Yes, he's still in there... No, he's not ready to come out yet...

TxTeacher91 · January 2016

Any other teachers planning on breastfeeding? How are you planning on pumping at work? I live in Texas & I'm not sure my administrators are required to allow me pumping time, and I will be so upset if I can't breastfeed simply for that reason.

yodapup · January 2016

TxTeacher91 said:

Any other teachers planning on breastfeeding? How are you planning on pumping at work? I live in Texas & I'm not sure my administrators are required to allow me pumping time, and I will be so upset if I can't breastfeed simply for that reason.

Check with your state laws on breastfeeding. It varies by state and your administration has to follow the law. I know in Colorado the law says something like "a reasonable amount of breaks/ time allowed for pumping" but doesn't give an exact number.

ETA: I may be wrong. It looks like its a federal law. https://www.usbreastfeeding.org/workplace-law Its been a while since I had to look everything up. You can also check out https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/employed-moms/your-rights-as-a-breastfeeding-employee/ for more information.

tJaffe · January 2016

Teachers actually do not qualify for the law! Some states have passed state laws that say teachers are included but, we are salary workers and the pumping time law (can't think of its name) does NOT apply to salary workers. I just found this out today. It's very upsetting to know that we spend all day teaching and caring for other people's children but cannot provide our own with milk.

My plan is to speak with my asst. principal who is in charge of special area planning and request a planning period that is between lunch and the end of the day or the morning and lunch. Then, I can I pump at lunch and planning and try to figure out a way to pump once more. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping that my admins are generous and understanding. They both have younger children.

flowerpower5838 · January 2016

tJaffe said:

Teachers actually do not qualify for the law! Some states have passed state laws that say teachers are included but, we are salary workers and the pumping time law (can't think of its name) does NOT apply to salary workers. I just found this out today. It's very upsetting to know that we spend all day teaching and caring for other people's children but cannot provide our own with milk. My plan is to speak with my asst. principal who is in charge of special area planning and request a planning period that is between lunch and the end of the day or the morning and lunch. Then, I can I pump at lunch and planning and try to figure out a way to pump once more. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping that my admins are generous and understanding. They both have younger children.

Not a teacher, but I did not realize that the current federal law applied only to hourly employees. Very enlightening! Here is an interesting article specifically about teachers and breastfeeding. If you foresee yourself having issues, it may be worth it to bring it up with your union if you belong to one as the woman in the article did!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/breast-may-be-best-but-teachers-dont-have-the-right-to-pump-at-work-in-many-states/2015/08/02/9f6daa64-36d0-11e5-9d0f-7865a67390ee_story.html

ETA: it looks like there is a large handful of states that have passed their own laws to protect teachers' pumping rights.

yodapup · January 2016

I didn't realize the federal law didn't apply to teachers! What BS! I would definitely try talking to someone (asst principal etc) about getting ideally 2 pumping breaks in your schedule. I wish all you teachers the best of luck with pumping!

tJaffe · January 2016

flowerpower5838 said:

tJaffe said:

Teachers actually do not qualify for the law! Some states have passed state laws that say teachers are included but, we are salary workers and the pumping time law (can't think of its name) does NOT apply to salary workers. I just found this out today. It's very upsetting to know that we spend all day teaching and caring for other people's children but cannot provide our own with milk.

My plan is to speak with my asst. principal who is in charge of special area planning and request a planning period that is between lunch and the end of the day or the morning and lunch. Then, I can I pump at lunch and planning and try to figure out a way to pump once more. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping that my admins are generous and understanding. They both have younger children.

Not a teacher, but I did not realize that the current federal law applied only to hourly employees. Very enlightening! Here is an interesting article specifically about teachers and breastfeeding. If you foresee yourself having issues, it may be worth it to bring it up with your union if you belong to one as the woman in the article did!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/breast-may-be-best-but-teachers-dont-have-the-right-to-pump-at-work-in-many-states/2015/08/02/9f6daa64-36d0-11e5-9d0f-7865a67390ee_story.html

ETA: it looks like there is a large handful of states that have passed their own laws to protect teachers' pumping rights.

Yes, I plan on emailing my union leader after the baby arrives to ask more specifically about our district and the contract in regards to pumping! Basically every teacher has "laughed" and said good luck when I discuss how I'm hoping to keep up a supply for my LO next year. The school counselor made it four weeks this year before her supply dropped due to lack of time to pump. It's so sad.

katy0990 · January 2016

I am very worried about having time to pump. My plan time ends about an hour before lunch, so I doubt I will be able to pump more than once during the day.

Stormiewinter · January 2016

I am a teacher I pumped with Ds for a full 12 months. Especially if you have time to establish supply in the beginning (ideally 8-10) weeks, there is no reason to believe you cannot keep up your supply. We are entitled to "pump time" however I never needed a separate break. I pumped 15 minutes before class started, on my prep, at lunch, and as soon as the kids left at the end of the day. Then I nursed Ds as soon as I picked him up (even though it was usually only 30-45 min after pumping). THis helped to establish my supply and eventually I was able to cut down to 3 pumpings during the day. If I ever felt like supply was a little low I would add in a pump session before bed and one or two on the weekends. There are a lot of things you can do to prep yourself for pumping at work that will help to set you up for success so do your research. It is a lot of work, but for me it was worth it. We successfully bfd for 26 months.

avalentine81 · January 2016

I am a FTM not due until May but trying to read the months ahead of me to prepare. My coworker and I both teach half time K (opposite times) so I covered her maternity leave and we planned out the 12 weeks together. Since I am due only a few weeks before the last day of school I will write plans. I would say maybe write at least 2 weeks so the teacher can see your routine and then leave your yearly plan so they know which standards to teach at which times. Hopefully you have a great team that can continue to plan with your sub (our team meets once a week to plan together). As for BF, when my colleague returned she had a TA cover her class once a day for about 20-30 min. and did this until her baby was 1 yr. old so our administration was very supportive.

tJaffe · January 2016

I'm hoping, since I'll have about 4.5-5 months with my LO before school starts in August, that I'll have a well established supply and a bit of a stash. My main goal is to make it 6 months of BF and introduce a bottle from pumping around 3 months (or earlier if he doesn't get nipple confusion) so hubby can feed him daily in the evening then he'll be more prepared for bottles at the nanny's.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to have a TA next year (they pop in and out 20-30 min here and there daily) so I can use her to watch kiddos so I can pump!

meg_2006 · January 2016

I bought into short term disability before getting pregnant specifically so I could have paid maternity leave. I have 12 weeks payed, so I put in for the 4th as my last day (due the 8th). I'm going to take off the rest of the year, though I'm sure I'll have to come back the last few work days to make sure everything's in order for next year.

I work for a small private school so my situations a little different. I teach phys. Ed. mainly and there's no specific curriculum for it, just a unit schedule saying what I need to teach and how long. And that is what I'm leaving with the teacher! I don't have time to create specific lessons for every class of every day those 12 weeks. So it's up to them to hire someone who can figure that out for themselves! I have left the sub with the unit schedule from Jan-June (just in case I have to go early) and some other details like my classroom procedures, etc. to help it be a smooth transition for the kids. They haven't hired anyone yet as for as I know...which is living on the edge a little if you ask me! It's getting close!

jenniferamcooper · January 2016

@tJaffe if your BFing relationship is going well I'd reccomend introducing a bottle earlier than 3 months. In my experience nipple confusion really isn't a thing, it's more so nipple preference. I had my husband take 1 nighttime feed starting at 3 and a half weeks (Momma needed sleep!) and we had no trouble continuing this pattern weekly. We upped the number of Friday night feeds to 2/3 bottles by 2 months so I had a full night's sleep one day a week. Around 2 months I started leaving him a little more, dinner with friends once a week, etc and we had no issue transferring between nursing and bottle. We stuck to the lowest flow the entire 12 months.

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