Maternity Leave is just not long enough!! How can I make it longer?

[twiggy327]

Im due in August with my second child. I didnt work with my first so maternity leave is very new to me. The company I work for offers 6 weeks of disability paid for a vaginal birth, up to 9 weeks paid for medical reasons. I want my full 9 weeks!! There have been men at this company who have had shoulder and knee surgery who have gotten 8 weeks or more of disability but I only get 6 weeks to bond with my newborn? I just dont think its long enough. I am eligible to take up to 12 weeks through FMLA but the company would first take every single vacation and sick day for the year! I need days for doctors appts and in case my children get sick! How can I get my doctor approve at least 2 extra weeks of maternity leave so I can have more time with my baby?

 

[runnergrl]

it stinks. bad. Unless there is some magic loophole that I know nothing about, there is nothing you can do. Under FMLA though, even if all of your days are taken on mat leave, they cannot fire you for taking additional days or half days for dr's appts and such after all of your days are used up. they can, however dock your pay..

 

[samface182]

9weeks?!
We get 9months with pay here but you can take up to a year!

 

[runnergrl]

yes, it sucks in the US. We know. I wish it was different.

 

[MrsTurner2012]

I'm sorry you don't get longer. That sucks really badly

 

[DLA]

Im due in August with my second child. I didnt work with my first so maternity leave is very new to me. The company I work for offers 6 weeks of disability paid for a vaginal birth, up to 9 weeks paid for medical reasons. I want my full 9 weeks!! There have been men at this company who have had shoulder and knee surgery who have gotten 8 weeks or more of disability but I only get 6 weeks to bond with my newborn? I just dont think its long enough. I am eligible to take up to 12 weeks through FMLA but the company would first take every single vacation and sick day for the year! I need days for doctors appts and in case my children get sick! How can I get my doctor approve at least 2 extra weeks of maternity leave so I can have more time with my baby?

Wish I had advice but I totally sympathize with you. I work for the state, so I don't even get state disability at all. Where I work will give you 6 weeks half pay for vaginal birth, or 8 weeks half pay for c section but it's still half of what I would get if I wasn't a state employee and qualified for disability. It's so unfair. Other than that all we get is our sick and vacation time paid out. I hate it. Yes our job is guaranteed for 12 weeks but it would be unpaid after the benefit time runs out. Then that means you go off payroll and have to pay your health insurance premiums ($648 every 2 weeks!). Really sorry you're in this situation. I feel your pain.

 

[d_b]

That stinks! At 6 weeks I was so stressed out and sleep deprived I'm sure my doctor would have given me a sick note if I was due to return to work then, so you very well may be in a situation where your doctor suggests you taking the extra 3 weeks.

 

[mydream89]

That is really poor, I cannot think of going back to work after 8 weeks, I get full pay for 18 weeks the stat pay for 21 weeks then another 2 months annual leave at full pay. I feel for you!!! See what ur doctors can do this must b a common thing over in the USA. I will be off nearly a year and that doesn't seems long enough when things are starting to happen like walking etc....

 

[juhnayrae]

I feel your pain. I work part-time right now, so unless I work enough hours by August I won't get paid at all. I'll get my 12 weeks of FMLA, but not a cent. Although, I'm pretty confident I'll work enough hours by then that my employer will be required, by law, to pay me.

Still, 12 weeks isn't even enough ): I'm already dreading going back to work and she isn't even here yet!

 

[libbyam2003]

UGh, yup, a U.S. problem that our overseas buddies can't relate to, for the most part. I can take up to 12 weeks with FMLA, but yeah only get paid based on how much saved up vacation/sick leave I use. So, like with my first baby, I'll do a combination of vacation/sick/LWOP (leave without pay)... I 'think' I'd have enough to not need to use unpaid but then I know I want time to take off once I get back to work as it takes forever to build the time back up... I've been saving since my first baby and its hard because you need to take off for so many dr visits and then exhausted due to baby being up at night and need to sleep in etc. Definitely not ideal to be expected to come back to work full time when baby is so young because they can't be expected to be STTN by then!! And also once they're in daycare, all the illnesses and such. And then our daycare closes for snow or tornado warnings, so have to take off then too.

Wondering what happens if we take off MORE than 12 weeks. A friend who works for the govt like I do.. she didn't seem to have a problem... they didn't question 13 or 14 weeks. So I guess its up to the boss. oh and yeah a nurse told me to get disability to get the 6 weeks paid. But you have to apply before you're prego and then pay for the disability insurance until you have the baby. So would be ideal if you got prego fast maybe. But ended up making more sense for us to make a savings account instead when we started TTC. And then I asked HR and they said there wasn't such a thing anyway. So yeah maybe not offered for govt employees.

 

[Jcliff]

I get O paid days maternity. So we have to live off my husbands pay until October when I go back.

 

[lisanicole]

I get O paid days maternity. So we have to live off my husbands pay until October when I go back.

If you live in New York you should be eligible for short term disability pay for 6 weeks (8 weeks if c section). Its very little pay but better than nothing.

 

[Babushka]

Try going to the doctor toward the end of the 6 weeks and ask for a note as you are really exhausted. 6 weeks is nothing, we get 18 weeks paid at the minimal wage in Australia.

 

[melastar86]

i've asked my dr about this same issue and he said as long as there is no medical reason they can't write you out of work for longer than the 6 weeks...it sucks! I also tried to get out of work earlier than 39 weeks and they said the same thing, no medical reason then I have to work until 39 weeks..i even explained that I work with kids with extreme behavior issues and my work environment is not safe for a pregnant women, still refused to write me out of work earlier than 39 weeks!

 

[runnergrl]

This who conversation makes me ill to think about. Its really disgusting to expect mothers to return to full time work 6 short weeks after having a baby. I am sick about it TBH. I, also get zero paid time off. No disability pay since i didnt have the insurance. Just the healthcare coverage. (which in itself is a riot at $350/month plus a $2500 deductible)

 

[Calif]

I see you are in Pittsburg. Does PA have PFL? (Baby bonding?) I know NJ has it too.

I live in California and we get 6 weeks PDL (paid disability, 8 weeks for c section), 6 weeks PFL (baby bonding paid), and 12 weeks CFRA concurrent with PFL (unpaid). So total of 18 weeks after birth with job guarantee.

 

[tlh97990]

do you have short term disability at your work? i just started a new job 3 months ago and the company pays for short and long term disability so when i have the baby i will get 60% of my way for up to 12 weeks on short term disability and if i need longer off it would go into long term disability i think your doctor still needs to sign off on it though..you can always schedule your post partum visit a little later than 6 weeks since you cant go back to work without a dr release