MATERNITY LEAVE

[KimberleyDawn]

I am due Feb.16, 2003 and I can't decide on when to start my mat. leave. I was thinking of Jan.17, 2003 being my last day but I have a couple of people suggesting closer to the beginning of Jan. What did you ladies do?
Kim

[egoldber]

How much leave do you get? If you take more leave before baby comes, then do you get less leave afterwards? If it were me, I would work as long as you are feeling good. I worked up until the day I delivered (3 weeks early!).

[mamahill]

I agree with Beth - totally depends on how long you can afford to give up in the beginning. If you only get a set amount, I would work as long as you can. I have a friend who got 6 weeks so she worked as long as possible (up to the day before). Turns out she made the right move as they had to induce her 2 weeks after her due date. Had she taken off a couple weeks early, she would have only had 4 weeks post-delivery (ouch!). I had a horrible sciatic problem, however, and couldn't sit at a desk for more than an hour at a time - so if working is a pain, I say take off earlier. Good luck!

[Melanie]

It depends on where you live. Where I live, you get a MEDICAL leave for 4 weeks prior, and 6 weeks post (for vaginal deliveries). Of course your medical professional must fill out a form for this. Then on top of that there is California family leave and Federal Family leave...so it all depends on where you live as to how much you get and if you can move it around. I could not, so I took my month prior and tried to enjoy my large self. =)




Mommy to Jonah

[caroliner]

Unless you have a great leave policy or there is some reason you think you need to have all that time off before you deliver, I would just work as long as you can. I worked until Friday and went into labor Sunday night, and I'm glad I did. It was nice to have the $$ first of all, especially since I am still waiting for my disability $$...she is now 15 weeks old and I've been back at work 2 weeks, so you can see how that might be a problem... I also have heard from many friends, etc. that they got very bored being at home before the baby came. Now, if you are having baby # 2, it might be nice to have that extra time with your first baby... Aside from that or health reasons or of course if your job requires a lot of time on your feet, I don't know why you'd need all that time home before the baby.

[ct]

I took about 4 weeks off prior to DD's birth - though I was having bad stomach problems and just didn't feel good at work most of the time. Turns out that within a week, the stomach issues cleared up, so I think it must have been stress related. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed having the time off ahead of time. I was able to relax, take better care of myself and really prepare for the baby's birth (setting the nursery up, shopping, washing baby's clothes, getting all those last minute things done, etc.). Plus I'm a SAHM now so that was my last chance to be totally selfish :). I've never regretted it - to me the extra money just wasn't worth the freedom I had (I got 6 weeks pd at 40% and 6 more weeks unpaid).

ct

[suzska]

Like everyone else says, it depends on your company's policy a little. I was lucky enough to be working for a company that gave you 12 weeks short-term disability at 60% (that coincided with the FMLA weeks). But that started from when you stopped working, and not when you had the baby. So if you took off 4 weeks before the baby was born, and the baby was born 2 weeks late, you only got 6 weeks home with your newborn (unless the doc said it was medically necessary to extend your leave).

Evan was due Tuesday, March 27, and I was planning to work until Friday, March 16 (so 7 working days before my due date). Well, lucky (?) for me, Evan decided to come 16 days early on Sunday, March 11!!! I left work the Friday before, never dreaming I wouldn't be coming in to work on Monday. :-) I still hadn't finished training my replacement at work. I got my full 12 weeks with Evan, and then I got a lifetime more--I received a phonecall from my former supervisor on my last day of Maternity Leave informing me that my position had been eliminated (along with about 15 others) and I was being laid-off! I planned on looking for part-time employ when the UC ran out, but family circumstances changed my plans, and then my UC benefits were extened twice because of the economic downturn after 9/11. They finally ran out a few weeks ago (almost 18 months after Evan was born), and for now I'm a SAHM!!!

I should add, that I hardly had anything ready in Evan's room (I'm a serious procrastinator) and didn't even have a bag packed for the hospital when my water broke. But then I was convinced I was going to deliver late. ;-) But I have heard plenty of stories of women who did deliver late and were going stir-crazy at home waiting for the baby to be born because they had started their leave 2 weeks before the due date.

[KimberleyDawn]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I should have added that I live in Ontario, Canada and we have excellent maternity benefits. Here we are entitled to 12 months at 55% of your salary and I'm also fortunate enough that my employer will top that up to 85% for the first 6 months. Sooo, if you guys had the same package would you take off a month early from work or am I being lazy?
Kim

[egoldber]

I really think it depends on your situtation. If you really like your job, if you're not stressed there and they are accommodating to you, then I, personally, would work as long as I could. If you don't feel good anymore, or if work is a pain in the whatever, then stop. If you've still got a million things to do to get ready for baby and can't seem to find the time, then stop. Also, since you have an older child, you may want to plan to do some special activities while it is still just the two of you. Also, if you just WANT to stop, then stop! It's not being lazy, it's just your preference!

That wasn't really any help was it???!!! Sorry!

[Karenn]

Just a thought: If your employer will allow it, you might consider working half days towards the end. Like some of the others, I got really bored and anxious the last few weeks before the baby came, and I think I might have gone crazy if I didn't have work to distract me! But, at the same time, my employer was very generous in letting me work half days when I was feeling really exhausted. I would get home just in time for an afternoon nap! I worked until three days before my due date and it seemed fine- especially with the half days. :)

Karen

[suzska]

I forgot about the great benefits in Canada. If I had had the same package, I probably would have taken off a month early. Maybe I could have actually gotten some stuff done around the house before Evan arrived.

But like everyone else said, you need to do what feels right for you.