February Valentines 2012 - We have our first Valentines!

[Jokerette]

Haha, sorry Junebugs, that was confusing. I don't get paid for my leave. I get 3 months, unpaid, where they guarantee my job if I choose to return. And well, any other PTO that I've saved up - vacation time, floating holiday, sick time, that I can use if I wish, though obviously then I wouldn't have it later. Tough decisions, really! lol.

Same here... was talking with a coworker today, though, and I think I can get a few weeks of Short Term Disability so I can accrue a percentage of my income. Any chance of that working for you?? I know what you mean about taking the vacation time. It seems like a double-edged sword because what if I'd like a few days with the LO around 6 or 9 months!

Same with me! But I was told in order to qualify for Short Term Disability you have to enroll BEFORE you become pregnant or it's considered a "pre-existing condition"

 

[Junebugs]

Wow, i guess you can really take advantage of where you live sometimes. I have been wishing i had more then 1 year off but i should be happy with that!!!

 

[BabyAngelic]

Hi Ladies

In South Africa, we get 4 months maternity leave. At my company I will get paid 75% of my normal monthly salary and the rest I have to claim from the employment fund. I wish I could get more than 4 months, it feels like I'm going to leave the baby when it's still so little to go back to work. I might take a few additional weeks of annual leave, but that's it.

 

[BabyAngelic]

WOW, I'm 16 weeks today

 

[TeQuiero]

With DS2, I went back to work when he was 6 weeks old. I had only been released from my dr for 2 days. And my leave was not paid, I had to save up holiday and vacation pay (which was only a total of about $300 total, 1 week vaca (4 days) and like 4 holidays)

 

[swanxxsong]

argh. still can't find out anything positive about short-term. like jokerette said, all I keep getting is that I should have applied before I got pregnant.

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Saphire - I personally have not been to please touch, but I know many people who've taken their kids there and have raved about it. Have a great weekend!

I'll look into disability - I feel as though if it was an option, my boss would have mentioned it - as she's gone above-and-beyond trying to help me in every way possible (since I haven't even decided yet if I'm returning to her, but we're pretending I am for now, just to cover all bases for insurance and stuff - and SHE is the one who decided that). But maybe she overlooked it. I need to check.

Yeah Junebugs, it stinks. I've talked to so many of my friends and acquaintances here who have kids and they all said the same thing: the States gets the total shaft on leave! haha. I never realized until the boards here that some women get a year off, with their job saved - and most of them get some compensation too! I told hubby we should move to Ireland, and he laughed and rolled his eyes. Uprooting, totally not wise, but dang it was tempting for a second.

WOW... you learn something new EVERYDAY... i really had no idea you guys did not get paid and you also did not have your jobs saved for you!! THAT SUCKS!!! I always wanted to move to California but now i am not so sure ... you should come and move to Canada! lol...... So how long are you aloud to get off then before you can loose your job?.... and do you really not get paid from anywhere while you are off? (work, insurance, goverment?) Sorry for all the questions but i really want to understand this since this whole time i though the states was the same...

In the military, if you are the woman giving birth, you get 6 weeks off. It's totally paid and, of course, you're job is there when you get back. The crappy part of this is that once the baby is 6 weeks old, your theirs again and they can deploy you. If you are the father, you get 2 weeks of paternity leave, totally paid. I'm not sure about other government jobs, I don't think they're the same.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

I'm 15 weeks today but all the of the "fruit" tickers are acting weird so I'm not sure what fruit I am, lol!

 

[swanxxsong]

you're a naval orange. ;D haha

 

[Junebugs]

In the military, if you are the woman giving birth, you get 6 weeks off. It's totally paid and, of course, you're job is there when you get back. The crappy part of this is that once the baby is 6 weeks old, your theirs again and they can deploy you. If you are the father, you get 2 weeks of paternity leave, totally paid. I'm not sure about other government jobs, I don't think they're the same.

OMG, that's crazy, i can not even think of having to leave my child and being deploed at only 6 weeks!!

Thanks ladies for all the information! Keep it coming, i really feel like i have been sheltered up here, i can't even get over this. To me it is so natural getting 1 year off, i could not even think of going back to work so soon. I also want to just work part time after (maybe not even at all). How much is daycare for all of you? Around here you are looking at about 2000$ a month.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

In the military, if you are the woman giving birth, you get 6 weeks off. It's totally paid and, of course, you're job is there when you get back. The crappy part of this is that once the baby is 6 weeks old, your theirs again and they can deploy you. If you are the father, you get 2 weeks of paternity leave, totally paid. I'm not sure about other government jobs, I don't think they're the same.

OMG, that's crazy, i can not even think of having to leave my child and being deploed at only 6 weeks!!

Thanks ladies for all the information! Keep it coming, i really feel like i have been sheltered up here, i can't even get over this. To me it is so natural getting 1 year off, i could not even think of going back to work so soon. I also want to just work part time after (maybe not even at all). How much is daycare for all of you? Around here you are looking at about 2000$ a month.

I know, it's insane. It's why I refused to be active duty a while back. I'm a reservist now and I can actually get out at any point if I need to. No way will I leave my baby when they are so little!!!

 

[JohnsPrincess]

you're a naval orange. ;D haha

 

[swanxxsong]

Junebugs, I was just asking a coworker and for an infant she said she was paying almost 300 a week for full-time. But the price, apparently, varies completely depending on where you're taking your child, the size of the establishment, etc. A smaller, private care would cost more than something like the Y, where you can even apply for scholarship and you pay what you can afford, through a system they set up there.

But I found out great news! Hidden on the site was a big thing about maternity and apparently through my company, I will get six weeks partial pay! I have to use all my vacation, floating holiday and sick time before I'm eligible for that, though, so I'll be able to take a total of probably 2.5-3 weeks full-pay, then 6 partial-pay. So that's quite a relief!

I need to read more on what is after that, if I decide to stay home for the three months with the baby. I believe by law, they have to keep my job. I won't be getting paid, but I want that 12 weeks with my baby, dang it!

 

[Junebugs]

Junebugs, I was just asking a coworker and for an infant she said she was paying almost 300 a week for full-time. But the price, apparently, varies completely depending on where you're taking your child, the size of the establishment, etc. A smaller, private care would cost more than something like the Y, where you can even apply for scholarship and you pay what you can afford, through a system they set up there.

But I found out great news! Hidden on the site was a big thing about maternity and apparently through my company, I will get six weeks partial pay! I have to use all my vacation, floating holiday and sick time before I'm eligible for that, though, so I'll be able to take a total of probably 2.5-3 weeks full-pay, then 6 partial-pay. So that's quite a relief!

I need to read more on what is after that, if I decide to stay home for the three months with the baby. I believe by law, they have to keep my job. I won't be getting paid, but I want that 12 weeks with my baby, dang it!

YAY!!!! At least that's some good news!!!

 

[Laidee]

I am finding all of this information so interesting. I decided to research further about my job's policy.

So we have New Parent Leave that applies to both mothers and fathers. Its up to 5 days of paid leave to be taken any time within 6 months following birth or can used during the 7-day waiting period before Short Term Disability begins.

For short term disability, they give 6 weeks for normal delivery and 8 weeks for a c-section. Get up to 26 weeks off. First 6 weeks with full pay and the remainder at 70%.

 

[Junebugs]

I am finding all of this information so interesting. I decided to research further about my job's policy.

So we have New Parent Leave that applies to both mothers and fathers. Its up to 5 days of paid leave to be taken any time within 6 months following birth or can used during the 7-day waiting period before Short Term Disability begins.

For short term disability, they give 6 weeks for normal delivery and 8 weeks for a c-section. Get up to 26 weeks off. First 6 weeks with full pay and the remainder at 70%.

Well that's not to bad!!! Where do you live?

 

[nightkd]

I'm so thankful I am able to SAH here... My DH isn't allowed ANY kind of paternity leave though, it's ridiculous!! One of the things I really hate about the US... His company is too small to offer the parental leave thing he would legally get if it was a bigger company. This time around he is taking 2 weeks of holiday (which leaves us with 5 days holiday to use over the rest of the year!!! ) because I got bad PPD with Evey, because I felt 'abandoned' since he went back to work so quickly... Ugh.

I miss the UK... :S

I've been seeing movements now I feel kind of bad because even my elasticated pants seem to press right where s/he is and s/he starts rolling around and poking limbs out of me, like s/he is trapped!!

 

[swanxxsong]

I'm really hoping to SAH here, but we're not sure we can afford it, and trying to find work from home is... tough. That would be awesome, but I'm just not sure it'll happen. Blah. lol.

 

[Diana5241]

I'm really hoping to SAH here, but we're not sure we can afford it, and trying to find work from home is... tough. That would be awesome, but I'm just not sure it'll happen. Blah. lol.

Me too. I'd even take part time so that I could be home more with the LO. Trying to convince my DH to let me quit my office job and work PT at a clothing store if my office won't work with me on part time hours!

 

[Diana5241]

In the military, if you are the woman giving birth, you get 6 weeks off. It's totally paid and, of course, you're job is there when you get back. The crappy part of this is that once the baby is 6 weeks old, your theirs again and they can deploy you. If you are the father, you get 2 weeks of paternity leave, totally paid. I'm not sure about other government jobs, I don't think they're the same.

OMG, that's crazy, i can not even think of having to leave my child and being deploed at only 6 weeks!!

Thanks ladies for all the information! Keep it coming, i really feel like i have been sheltered up here, i can't even get over this. To me it is so natural getting 1 year off, i could not even think of going back to work so soon. I also want to just work part time after (maybe not even at all). How much is daycare for all of you? Around here you are looking at about 2000$ a month.

I know, it's insane. It's why I refused to be active duty a while back. I'm a reservist now and I can actually get out at any point if I need to. No way will I leave my baby when they are so little!!!

That's completely unrealistic!! Sometimes I hate the way things are done here. My brother was US Army and was deployed to Bosnia when my nephew was less than a year old. By the time he got back a few months later, my nephew didn't even know who he was and didn't like to be held by him. It was heartbreaking!! Needless to say, he did NOT re-inlist when the time came. That's such a tough job and the family part can be the breaking point!