I plan on taking the full 12 weeks I get (combo of STD and FMLA) at 2/3 pay. I am hoping to work as long as possible since I want to have all my time off with the babies at home but we'll see how it goes (38 weeks will be Dec 23 so I'll be taking mat leave by Christmas time). My in-laws are moving in with us in January/February after my FIL retires while they look for a house to buy and they are going to watch the twins. DS will continue to go to his current day care. The timing of my in-laws retiring could not be better. Three in day care along with our mortgage and insurance payments would be more than our combined monthly income. We would have to live off our savings.
I was able to bring DS to work with me after 8 weeks and kept him with me until 5 months. I could do the same with the twins, but I just don't know if I could handle two infants and actually do my work without being completely stressed out and overwhelmed. At least it will be an option if my in-laws can't watch them some days though. DH will most likely use sick time to take long weekends. He did the same with DS and it worked out really well. My mom is also planning on time off to come stay with us for a week at a time a few different times.
I'm taking the 12 weeks (not until due date) and then going back to work. H works for himself so he's planning to do 1 day/week "work" from home (I think he underestimates what it will be like with a baby/how much work he can really do), so 4 days of daycare. The daycare is down the street from my office and I feel really comfortable with it which is good. My job is pretty laid back with evening events here and there and maybe 4 trips/year. The trips are a really nice break from office life, so I'm not *too* worried about them with a baby (and my company would never make me travel before I was ready). Going back to work so soon will suck, but like some others mentioned, I don't think I'm cut out to be a SAHM (props to those who can; and I have so much respect for the one who raised me!). Once we have more kids, I think I would consider working part-time, but for now, I like my job too much to change things up. Just wish we had longer leave.
My company gives me 6 weeks full pay with a regular birth (8 weeks with a C-section) and then I can take the other 6 weeks with no pay. I work on commission + base salary so I'd lose my base but still get my commission check monthly which would be great. I can log hours working from home to have some money coming in if I want to.
Realistically I think I'll take a solid month off but the other 2 I'll be working a bit more. Once my leave is over I've got it approved to work from home 2 days a week which is incredible! I couldn't be more happy. We've also found a woman who lives really close to where we are moving that does in home daycare with only 4 kids that our son will go to. Having the smaller day care makes me feel a lot better and having it already set up is a huge weight off my back!
I get 6 weeks short term disability (8 if I have to have a C-section) and then 2 weeks paternal leave that is paid. After that I can take and additional 4 or 2 (up to 12 weeks total between it all) and either use my vacation/sick time or take it unpaid. I've been able to save up time for most of the 4 weeks to be vacation leave, may have to go a few days unpaid but that's doable. I have never seen myself as a SAHM and actually really struggled with maternity leave. I thrive on some routine and such in a day and really do appreciate the adult interaction work provides. This time around I learned that I need to make sure I force myself to get up and do something most days since getting up and leaving the house helps me. I would love to take time off ahead of my due date but the plan is to work up until I go in to labor. I don't have any plans of making it to my EDD between my GD and the fact that I was 3 weeks early with DS so it's going to be hit or miss on whether or not I am off around Christmas. Luckily Christmas falls on a Sunday so I get Monday off as a holiday
I'm going to be staying home at the end of the year (due January 12th). I have another job I do from home, so will still keep doing that. I might hire an au pair at some point when the baby is older, but since our baby has a heart defect, I want to wait at least until after the surgery to make sure everything goes well. Luckily my mom is coming to help out, so I am happy about that She is coming to dog sit while the baby is born and will be here until the end of January and probably coming back in March for a little bit. I might consider returning to the office later, but for now I have given my notice.
As a side note, if any of you ladies would like to discuss au pairs, I would be happy to help, as I do work for an agency. They are live-in, so you will need to have the extra bedroom, but the cost is lower than most nannies or day cares (especially when looking at more than one child). I do apologize if this "ad" is not allowed here, but I figured I would mention it, as many of you have discussed childcare on this thread.
How long before your due date are you guys planning on working until before the baby is born?
@LilLynch2015 - its actually more common then you think! I know a few people who knew they weren't going to be coming back, but didn't give notice until their first day back - this way they got their full maternity benefits. Can you hint to your boss, so he can prepare but wait to tell HR until its official?
As for me - same with my first two - working right up until I deliver. Lucky for me, I work out of my house, so I don't need to worry about commuting. I get 12 weeks through FMLA, but only about $150 a week through disability coverage - so pathetic, why bother!! When its time to go back to work, the original plan was to put him in daycare at the same place as my 2.5 yr old, but when we worked out the numbers, its cheaper to have a nanny come to our house 3 days a week, and my MIL will watch them the other two days a week. Then come September, we are hoping our then 3 year old will be accepted into Pre-K, so we would only have to pay for the one.
I'm going to take a year but I'm going to start two months before my DD. I'm a home health nurse and I'm already dreading getting in and out of the car in a few weeks. I may go back very part time after a year or back to my regular schedule which is part time anyway, we'll see.
I get 12 weeks FMLA unpaid but have about 5wks sick time saved that I can use. After 31 days off STD picks up 50% of my wages. Very undecided about going back to work after baby. Would like to try being a SAHM but fear I won't like it and have quit a job that though I don't love does pay well and is 5min from my house. So I may just have grandma's watch baby for a few weeks after I go back and see if I would rather become a SAHM. Also might just try to find something part time. Financially we would be ok. Not sure about working until due date but also don't want to eat up FMLA time waiting for her to come!
I'm taking 12 weeks at partial pay (as combination of FMLA and CA state disability), then hopefully using 6 weeks of accumulated vacation + sick leave to bring my total leave to 18 weeks. California allows you to use additional disability leave up to 4 weeks before your estimated due date, so I'd like to stop working 2 weeks before I'm due to that I can wrap up all my projects neatly and not have to worry about handing things off in the days after the baby is born. This has happened to other people and it sounds so stressful. Afterwards I'm coming back part time (20 h/week). Daycare will probably eat up most of my take-home salary, but I really like my job and would probably be unhappy staying at home.
Just the normal 12 weeks and going back part time. My husband gets paid paternity leave (i believe its 4 weeks). So we are excited about that. Our little man starts daycare in march even though i go back April. I think a slow transition into it will be better ( couple hours here, few hours there). I'm really hoping this daycare we picked works out. Daycare is expensive and from what i hear others pay is jaw dropping. Mine is $123 for 3 days/week ( that's all i need). Now i live in a very rural area and cost of living is much much different so it's hard to compare.
Here in France, for a 1st or 2nd child the traditional maternity leave is 6 weeks pre-partum, and 10 weeks post-partum. It will be my 2nd child, but after the end of my maternity leave, I prefer to enjoy time with my kids for a while before going back to work. As I am ending today a temporary job, I could rest a bit before the birth (due 12th January), and I am thinking about taking a new position by Septembre 2017. Between now and the begining of my maternity leave, and the end of my maternity leave and my return to a new job, I could ask for unemployement benefits for few months... not so bad. The situation was way different with my son, as I went back to work when he was just 3 month-old. He's 5 y-o now.
The fact that this pregnancy is probably my last one, and so my 2nd and last child, I want to enjoy this time without running everywhere between the office, school, nanny, etc... It is also a way to maintain a great way/balance of life for the whole family (kids and DH!).
I'm one of the Canadians and I don't want to be ungrateful for the mat/parental benefits we receive, but it's going to be hard to take a full year at only 55% of my/his wage. Assuming we can swing it financially, I plan to take the first 9 months (39 weeks) and my husband will take the last 3 (12 weeks). I will be going back to a promotion so I may end up going back earlier, we'll see how it plays out. I will definitely be going back though. I also know that I am not SAHM material and have nothing but respect for the women who are. Depending on what benefits come with my promotion and how easily we are able to cope with the loss of income for a year, we have discussed having my husband stay home full time with the baby after the parental leave benefits stop. Again, we'll have to see how everything plays out and if he still wants to be a stay at home dad after his 3 month stint with our son
This is such a source of stress for me. I'm having to work extra hours for all of my doctor appointments so it doesn't eat into my leave time. I have to use sick leave and vacation time plus a short term disability policy I was able to purchase in order to squeak out 10 weeks, maybe eleven. I had to do this for kid 1 as well. I haven't had a vacation day or a sick day where I was the one who was sick in over two years.
My area of work (science research) is usually paid by grants and because of funding I wasn't able to find a job in my new town. I made some good contacts while interviewing though, so if the budget changes next year I have a good chance at getting in at the one research facility in town. The fiscal year starts over in July so I will have a good 6 months to try the full time SAHM thing before I have a chance to go back to work, and I think I'll have a good impression over whether I want to go back part time or not. Right now I feel like I will want to stay home but who knows I'm just going to see how I feel.
Wow, after reading all of these I am sooo thankful that I live in Canada! I am a teacher and get a full year at 70% of my pay, so I will be taking the year off for sure! I can't even imagine how hard of a decision Mat Leave must be for all of you on here that live in the States! You are all amazing! I had no idea that 12 weeks was the norm there!!
Does anyone pay for their own insurance, not through a company? I have our insurance now through my company but I'd like to work PRN once I return from maternity leave but I'd have to get insurance separate from my job. Does anyone have experience with that?
@Ccjorge90 I don't have direct experience yet but have looked into it. My husband is self employed and I would like to leave my job (and also ultimately be self employed), in which case we'd need to go through the state exchange. My understanding is that the cost and coverage options/requirements for coverage vary greatly from state to state, but for the 2 of us we'd have to pay more than double what I pay through work- for the most basic plans. We are in NY but might seriously consider moving to CT in the long run, partially because the insurance options are currently much better there. Though I think it's all kind of a moving target right now as the insurance companies work out how to make a profit through the state exchanges.
I do have a few friends who are self employed, as are my parents, and most have had to switch plans every year since the ACA was implemented. Apparently the premiums and plans keep changing. This can be a hassle because aside from the cost being kind of variable, a lot of providers don't take all the plans and then they're forced to either find new doctors or just go out of pocket on top of the insurance premiums.
@KRB22 thanks for your reply! I have looked at it and for the 2016 year it would've been about $200 more than what I'm paying now but like you said it keeps changing so it might be even more expensive for 2017. But I think my works insurance will probably go up as well
I'm quitting my job in December to move back to Chicago and will start applying for new jobs a few weeks before that so no technical leave for me. I have some savings but I'd like to be working by March. Just 4 to 6 weeks after baby but I have loans to pay soooo cest la vie. To any Chicagoans out there, I'll be spamming you my resume!
@Ccjorge90 that doesn't sound bad at all! The main reason I've been conflicted about leaving my job is my company offers really good benefits, and the cost of private insurance in NY is so prohibitive.
My parents are self employed. Finding insurance has been a nightmare for them. It's expensive. When they get on a plan, it's cancelled the next year, so they have to shop for a new one every year. Most of the doctors in their area won't take the plans, so they end up paying out of pocket to keep their same doctors.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know I could never quit my job just for insurance reasons. I carry the insurance for myself, son and will for the new baby.
@KRB22 I live in MS and I didn't even realize that insurance prices were so different in different states. I guess I should have known since the cost of living in general is much higher in a lot of states than MS.
This topic is definitely a stressful one, and I'm in Canada! Luckily, my employer pays my salary for the first 19 weeks, but then it's Employment Insurance, which I am maxed out on and doesn't come close to my normal pay. I am the larger breadwinner too and we live in Vancouver (giant mortgage = need two incomes!)
Anyways, I am still grateful I get to spend a good amount of time with our second daughter. I also love working, so will definitely be going back. I will likely go back around 10 months, as that is when our daycare takes them.
It all depends on if my job is willing to work with me or not. I had a talk with my boss 2 weeks ago about options of coming back part time, working from home part time and coming into the office 2 days a week, or if the only option was coming back full time. She said she would get back to me but so far.. nothing.
If the only option is coming back full time I will probably take 12 weeks off (unpaid) and then come back until i can find something part time closer to home.
If i can work from home part time and come into the office part time then i will probably take 8 weeks off completely and work from home for 4 weeks and then go to a normal schedule. At this point it just doesn't seem worth it to pay for 2 kids in daycare and work full time.
I plan on working until the day I give birth! I absolutely love my job and cannot wait to get back to it once we get used to our new life. My job allows 10 weeks fully paid leave. I intend on taking all 10 weeks. We will put him in full time daycare and go from there! I am not really worried about him being so small/young because that's what day care centers are used for so I figure they know how to handle littles.
Just talked to my boss about this yesterday. I'll be working up until delivery, and she's good with me doing 6 wks straight off, then two weeks working from home/coming in part time when DH can stay with the baby. This will leave me with 2 wks sick time in my pocket. Also, due to the nature of my job, I'll be doing some stuff when needed while home that 6wks, which I don't mind. I need to feel connected. It's how I'm wired--I'm kinda like you @heatherbunn24 .
After that, he'll start at the daycare down the street from my office at 8wks, the same time my DS did last time. .
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20 DS born 9/4/12 MMC July 2015 MMC January 2016
I'm technically due Feb 1, but running on the idea of birth in late January/early February. I'm a Jr high teacher and plan to work right up until I'm ready to pop. I do have Short Term Disability benefits I can use for 60% of my pay while I'm on leave and I have about 30 days PTO saved up. With a week off for Spring Break, and a 4 day school week, I'm thinking I can take off until the first/second week of April - then come back for "testing season".
My my mom lives with us,but she is in poor health (disability) and so cannot take care of the baby. I'm going to have to find a day care around here that I feel comfortable leave my 2 month old baby in - and that's scary!
I wish I could take off the rest of the school year, but since we get out for summer at the end of May that's another almost 2 months that I'd be out. I'm department chair, so there are duties that will be uncovered while I am gone - and our substitute teacher pool in my area is not very good, so I also worry about my 7th and 8th grade math students as to how they will get along with a long term sub in math. I will still have to leave plans - ones that the sub can follow - and sub plans are a b!+<&a to write. I know that baby comes first, but the job is a necessity, too in this house.
My DH got a new job with better pay recently! As a result I now have the option to stay at home with my 1 year old! Last month I told my supervisor that I wanted to give my notice (3 weeks) he begged me to stay and said he could work around my schedule until baby comes. I agreed to stay on with reduced hours until Dec. Now I am regretting my decision, it's nice to make extra money that can go into savings. But I just want to be home with my son and enjoy our alone time. Because pretty soon he won't be the baby anymore. I don't know what to do.
Re: Maternity leave/going back after baby thoughts
I was able to bring DS to work with me after 8 weeks and kept him with me until 5 months. I could do the same with the twins, but I just don't know if I could handle two infants and actually do my work without being completely stressed out and overwhelmed. At least it will be an option if my in-laws can't watch them some days though. DH will most likely use sick time to take long weekends. He did the same with DS and it worked out really well. My mom is also planning on time off to come stay with us for a week at a time a few different times.
Realistically I think I'll take a solid month off but the other 2 I'll be working a bit more. Once my leave is over I've got it approved to work from home 2 days a week which is incredible! I couldn't be more happy. We've also found a woman who lives really close to where we are moving that does in home daycare with only 4 kids that our son will go to. Having the smaller day care makes me feel a lot better and having it already set up is a huge weight off my back!
As a side note, if any of you ladies would like to discuss au pairs, I would be happy to help, as I do work for an agency. They are live-in, so you will need to have the extra bedroom, but the cost is lower than most nannies or day cares (especially when looking at more than one child). I do apologize if this "ad" is not allowed here, but I figured I would mention it, as many of you have discussed childcare on this thread.
How long before your due date are you guys planning on working until before the baby is born?
As for me - same with my first two - working right up until I deliver. Lucky for me, I work out of my house, so I don't need to worry about commuting. I get 12 weeks through FMLA, but only about $150 a week through disability coverage - so pathetic, why bother!! When its time to go back to work, the original plan was to put him in daycare at the same place as my 2.5 yr old, but when we worked out the numbers, its cheaper to have a nanny come to our house 3 days a week, and my MIL will watch them the other two days a week. Then come September, we are hoping our then 3 year old will be accepted into Pre-K, so we would only have to pay for the one.
Daycare is expensive and from what i hear others pay is jaw dropping. Mine is $123 for 3 days/week ( that's all i need). Now i live in a very rural area and cost of living is much much different so it's hard to compare.
As I am ending today a temporary job, I could rest a bit before the birth (due 12th January), and I am thinking about taking a new position by Septembre 2017. Between now and the begining of my maternity leave, and the end of my maternity leave and my return to a new job, I could ask for unemployement benefits for few months... not so bad.
The situation was way different with my son, as I went back to work when he was just 3 month-old. He's 5 y-o now.
The fact that this pregnancy is probably my last one, and so my 2nd and last child, I want to enjoy this time without running everywhere between the office, school, nanny, etc...
It is also a way to maintain a great way/balance of life for the whole family (kids and DH!).
How does it work in US?
I will definitely be going back though. I also know that I am not SAHM material and have nothing but respect for the women who are. Depending on what benefits come with my promotion and how easily we are able to cope with the loss of income for a year, we have discussed having my husband stay home full time with the baby after the parental leave benefits stop. Again, we'll have to see how everything plays out and if he still wants to be a stay at home dad after his 3 month stint with our son
BFP1 12/24/14 - EDD 09/07/15 (D/C 8w1d)
BFP2 6/12/15 - EDD 2/22/16 (D/C 10w3d)
———
Diagnoses and Treatments
PCOS (myo-inositol, excercize)
Indeterminant levels of APS IgM antibodies (baby aspirin)
Sub-septate uterus (hysteroscopic septoplasty 12/18/15)
———
BFP3 05/02/16 EDD 01/09/17 DS born 01/05/17
BFP4 01/28/19 EDD 10/?/19 🤞🙏
BFP1 12/24/14 - EDD 09/07/15 (D/C 8w1d)
BFP2 6/12/15 - EDD 2/22/16 (D/C 10w3d)
———
Diagnoses and Treatments
PCOS (myo-inositol, excercize)
Indeterminant levels of APS IgM antibodies (baby aspirin)
Sub-septate uterus (hysteroscopic septoplasty 12/18/15)
———
BFP3 05/02/16 EDD 01/09/17 DS born 01/05/17
BFP4 01/28/19 EDD 10/?/19 🤞🙏
I do have a few friends who are self employed, as are my parents, and most have had to switch plans every year since the ACA was implemented. Apparently the premiums and plans keep changing. This can be a hassle because aside from the cost being kind of variable, a lot of providers don't take all the plans and then they're forced to either find new doctors or just go out of pocket on top of the insurance premiums.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know I could never quit my job just for insurance reasons. I carry the insurance for myself, son and will for the new baby.
im not exactly sure what I'm going to do yet
Anyways, I am still grateful I get to spend a good amount of time with our second daughter. I also love working, so will definitely be going back. I will likely go back around 10 months, as that is when our daycare takes them.
If the only option is coming back full time I will probably take 12 weeks off (unpaid) and then come back until i can find something part time closer to home.
If i can work from home part time and come into the office part time then i will probably take 8 weeks off completely and work from home for 4 weeks and then go to a normal schedule.
At this point it just doesn't seem worth it to pay for 2 kids in daycare and work full time.
After that, he'll start at the daycare down the street from my office at 8wks, the same time my DS did last time.
.
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20
DS born 9/4/12
MMC July 2015
MMC January 2016
My my mom lives with us,but she is in poor health (disability) and so cannot take care of the baby. I'm going to have to find a day care around here that I feel comfortable leave my 2 month old baby in - and that's scary!
I wish I could take off the rest of the school year, but since we get out for summer at the end of May that's another almost 2 months that I'd be out. I'm department chair, so there are duties that will be uncovered while I am gone - and our substitute teacher pool in my area is not very good, so I also worry about my 7th and 8th grade math students as to how they will get along with a long term sub in math. I will still have to leave plans - ones that the sub can follow - and sub plans are a b!+<&a to write. I know that baby comes first, but the job is a necessity, too in this house.