Maternity Leave Length

[Deleted User] · February 2016

So I did search, but didn't really see anything that related to my situation. Hopefully I didn't miss anything-if I did, I'm so willing to turn this into a GIF party.

My story: I work in reception at a pool where we do swimming lessons for kids. Absolutely LOVE my job (most of the time.) It's crazy laid-back and flexible. There are two owners who I asked to meet with in a couple weeks to talk about maternity leave. When I first announced my pregnancy, they basically said that I could take as much time off as I need. It would be unpaid since it's a small business, but I'm totally fine with that. That being said, I have no idea what's fair or what the normal amount of leave is at other places. I'm due July 4th, and hoping I can work up until then. My first thought was to see if I could get the rest of July, all of August, maybe most of September, but I don't know if that's too long to be away. One thing to add- DH only gets a week of leave after the baby's born, but he plans to use some PTO to stretch it out a bit. Any advice would be SO appreciated!

MamaBish · February 2016

Some people do 6 weeks, others do 12, others do 6 months, etc, etc. it really comes down to how long you can go without pay and how long your company is willing to hold your job.

HMcDade1 · February 2016

I think 6-12 weeks is the norm in the US- which is terrible. If you qualify for FMLA or short term disability the amount of weeks are regulated. If you have flexibility you may want to just see how it works for you and your family financially. I'm due July 5 and I plan on being gone most if not all of September.

PinkLady2015 · February 2016

Just throwing this out there, but unless your employment falls under FMLA, they have no legal liability to hold your position. Does your employee handbook offer any idea as to whether they state they will follow these regulations or not? FMLA allows for a protected, unpaid 12 week leave. Perhaps they have an idea of what they are comfortable with which hopefully is comparable to what you're expecting.

jlgriff11 · February 2016

Also, FYI: My job's FMLA was exactly 13 weeks. However, I had to fill out my FMLA paperwork early so that they could count each appointment as one FMLA day. So every time I'm off or out for part of the day for an appointment it took a day away from my 13 weeks.

However I'm going to be a SAHM after the twins are born so I'm not worried about FMLA anymore.

[Deleted User] · February 2016

@PinkLady2015 that's a good point.. I'll have to ask when we meet. This is really my only issue with them being so laid-back; I really have nothing to go off of for this. It helps to know what others are getting so I have some kind of idea of what's fair for both them and me.

ETA: Most everyone I work with besides the owners are around my age, but either still in college or in a totally different phase of their life than I am. The company has only been around maybe 10 years or so, and as far as I know, I'm the first one to need maternity leave.

trucksntutus · February 2016

My place of employment offers 16 weeks maternity leave paid. Not sure about other companies but from what I hear it's about 6-12 weeks, whether it's paid or not is dependent on the company you work for.

austinjl · February 2016

I'm a self-employed therapist and kind of in the same situation. I'm contracted with two agencies but I get no maternity leave. Both owners have said I can take whatever time I need off and can come back. But I don't know how long to take. I assume I'll need at least 6-8 weeks and maybe I'll try to go back after that. I'll be working on the weekend when my husband can watch our baby so he or she will be in good hands. I'm also going back part-time to start so I can stay home with baby during the week. This is just a preliminary plan and we'll see how it works out. I've never done this before so we'll see what happens!!

PhoebeJune1984 · February 2016

I say shoot high (if you can afford it). With my first, my plan was to go back after 6 weeks. Well, I wasn't planning on having a c-section nor was I planning on having a rough c-section. Instead of a 6 week recovery, I had 12 weeks where I wasn't suppose to lift over 10 pounds, so I wouldn't have been able to really do my job if I had gone back at 6 weeks. If I could have a do-over, I would have gone for those 12 weeks, and then asked if it was okay (if I was feeling up to it, and if my recovery was going great), if I came back to work at 8 weeks or so (part time), and eased myself back into the job (being 100% back to my position at 12 weeks).

This time, I am actually quitting my job, but I am working until 3 weeks before my RCS date (as long as everything is going smoothly).

noelietrex · February 2016

My company does 12 weeks partially paid. I think 6 weeks seems really short especially should anything happen and a C-section recovery be necessary. Do what you're comfortable with but I'd try for 8 weeks or 12 if that's okay. 6 months would be amazing but that's long time sans pay...

kcossey528 · February 2016

My hospital's disability offers 6 weeks paid if it is vaginal delivery and 8 weeks paid for c-section. I had to go on bedrest, and Cigna told me it is only good for 6 months, including delivery, which sucks. I agree with a PP about FMLA. Some places make you take it throughout pregnancy for appointments, which takes time away after baby is born. Talk to your employer and see what your options are, and if necessary get it in writing. My girlfriend's manager was supportive at the beginning, telling her to take all this time. Then in the end she denied her last 30 days of leave because they were short, and she had exhausted her FMLA due to early complications.

jlmartinez517 · February 2016

I am a teacher in a public school and get 6 weeks + 6 FMLA days. Now, the 6 weeks leave is only paid when I use my sick days to cover it, if not it's unpaid. I'm due July 12, so my 6 weeks brings me up to the first day of school. No way in hell am I going back to that craziness, so I'm going to take the first marking period (9 weeks) off unpaid after my 6 weeks. It's so sad to think so many companies offer such little paid time for maternity leave...

xc1148 · February 2016

Take as much time as you can afford, assuming you get something in writing from your employer that they are holding your job. There are two things to consider: money and your baby. Have you considered that you may not want to go back to work? It's hard to predict. Also your baby is only young once! That initial bonding time is so precious.

And I'll be honest, I feel that at 12 weeks, you're just starting to get your s*** together. 16 weeks would be good because by then you're in a routine, you know your baby's habits, you can go out and enjoy everything.

sayerhart · February 2016

This thread makes me so happy to live in Canada! 12 months paid mat leave! Come to Canada!

ESchreinerWrites · February 2016

I get 30 paid calendar days. That's probably all I'll take. My husband works from home, so he can take on Mr. Mom duty, no prob. This is my second. Physically, I could have gone back to work within a day or two of having him. I'm a school principal and we have an important all admin meeting in Chicago on the 1st and 2nd of August. I'm due the 20th of July. If this kiddo is timely, I think I'll try to make the mtg. I'm really hoping to get induced this time, too, so will hopefully be around 7/20.

fleurdelakeview · February 2016

My job offers 6 weeks paid. The paid part is nice but I wish I could take off more time. If I qualified for FMLA I could take another 12 weeks unpaid.

DataJane · February 2016

With my son I took 9 or 10 weeks off but then I worked 2 days/wk for a month and then 3 days/wk for another month. My husband was able to fill in on some of those days when I started back so we didn't have to do any daycare until he was 3 months and then we eased into it. I was super happy I did it this way and I think it was helpful to my employer to at least have me back some. Plus maternity leave can be a little lonely/boring so it was nice to get out of the house a bit without feeling super stressed by being back full time.

deuxbouledogues · February 2016

My school district follows FMLA (12 weeks) and then Oregon has ORLA which is additional time. It is all unpaid but you can use personal days/sick time/etc. which I am doing.. I will take a little more than 12 weeks and HR does not have a problem with holding my job.

Puddles03 · February 2016

In Canada they will hold your job for 12 months but the pay from EI is bullshit! We pay into it and never really get back what we put in and it's so low it's laughable! Not that it mattered as I choose to SAH but I would say if you have paid leave lucky you even if it is shorter than expected.

whataboutscience · February 2016

6-12 is normal. If you can afford it, definitely ask for 12. People that do 6 usually do because they have to for the money. No one I know wanted to go back after only 6 weeks.

ellou05 · February 2016

6 paid which should be fine. I work from home.

[Deleted User] · February 2016

I checked with one of the owners and they absolutely want me to stay on after baby- I am one of only 3 receptionists there, and they were nervous that I was going to quit. So I'm not at all worried about whether or not my job will still be there. It sounds like I should be able to do up to mid-September, but again I have to meet with both owners to finalize. I'm part-time so I'm going to see if I can keep the hours I currently work (anywhere from 20-35) and maybe just ease back into it if I need to. SUPER jealous of all you Canada moms!

stillcozy · February 2016

I don't get full paid but I am going to use short term disability to cover 60-70% of my salary and work allows us 12 weeks and my supervisor told me to take all 12 unless I need to come back earlier for monetary reasons

HoosierTerp · February 2016

6-12 is the norm. I doubt you're covered by FMLA since it sounds like a small company. Can you get something in writing?

I get 20 weeks fully covered. I am extremely lucky! Well, behind you Canadians!

magzor · February 2016

I get 12 weeks unpaid FMLA. I have to exhaust my sick time first, which by then should be about 2 weeks. Then I can start short term disability and get 60% of my pay for 6 weeks. So my plan is to ease back in around 8 weeks and use my vacation time to work 2-3 days a week at first. I should have about 3 weeks saved up by then, but want to save some for doctors visits, etc.

arhodes6 · February 2016

I get 6 paid but told my boss I'm taking 12. She seemed a little taken aback by it, but as a FTM I will never get those precious first few weeks back and I'm going to take all I can get!! DH gets 6 paid paternity leave so we are going to be living it up with our little man

I cannot wait! Come on July 4th!

Edited because of autocorrect

stephweinstein · February 2016

This topic varies greatly from one employer to another, state by state, and even country by country. I'm sure you've seen Canadians get great maternal benefits! FMLA is a federal program that guarantees your position for 12 weeks but is entirely unpaid. Keep in mind, to qualify for federal FMLA your copy has to employ over 50 people and you have to have worked in your position for a set amount of time. Some states, like CA or NJ, supplement income during the federal FMLA period by providing a weekly stipend. The stipend differs depending upon your pay at the time of your leave. It sounds like you work for a "ma & pa" employer which may mean your maternity leave is at their consent and approval. In regards to how much unpaid time you should take, this is completely personal. I can tell you that with my first child I, personally, would not have been ready to go back to work at 12 weeks. I wasn't ready to go back 8 months postpartum either but we do what we have to do. My advice: You won't get those weeks, months, years back - If you can financially make it work to take longer, I would recommend it.

dolewhipper · February 2016

The way my company worded it was weird and made me think I had 16 weeks paid 100%, which isn't true

I still have 100% paid but only to the 12 week fmla max (which I know is still better than most)

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