Maternity leave worries...

[Ecoden]

I got 12 weeks paid maternity leave which here in the U.S. is of course (sadly) rare and is pretty good. My company is only 4 people so I'm not covered by FMLA so everything they're doing for me is b/c they want to not b/c they have to. The main person taking over my essential duties has lately been slacking and I'm worried that things will not go smoothly when I'm out and that they'll call/email me with issues while I'm on leave!

Has anyone else gone through this? I'm grateful for the paid leave but I don't want it used to make me work when I'll be sleep deprived and bonding with baby!

 

[Amythyst]

I feel your pain... lucky yea you get 12 weeks. I get 6 weeks if I have a vaginal birth and 8 for C-section. Plus, I only get 70% of my salary while on maternity leave... I'm the sole bread winner in our house, so I have to supplement my personal time off to get me up to 100%.

However, I am a government contractor and work on a small team... so, nobody can cover for me. I actually have to work while I'm on leave. I probably won't have to do too many hours a week but still, it is very annoying to not be able to just "be off". The only plus side is I wouldn't have to use ALL my leave while I'm out.

 

[emeeorevan]

Im with you. I actually get no paid maternity leave, I only get to take time off without pay (6w vaginal birth, 8w c section) or take sick time (which is what I'm doing and I only have 4w of sick days,to use so I have to go back at the end of the 4 weeks)
I'm a teacher and will have a substitute but I'm still responsible for my classes' lessons, grading, and scores (my evaluation scores will be determined by how well the students are doing and we all know (if you've been in the US educational system ever) how well students listen to and learn from a sub!)
so I will be working, getting calls, making calls and basically doing everything I normally do except physically being at the school during my "leave"

 

[bounceyboo]

that's ridiculous us mams should get a lot more time off and not have to work when they are off from home, for ne of the most powerful countries in the world, they have a lot of work to do on expectant mothers and their maternity leave rights. here I am out n sick leave until I go on maternity leave, I don't get paid from work but I do get paid by state going by my earnings 2 years ago, and on maternity leave I get 6 months plus another 4 if I wish to take them

 

[Ecoden]

I feel your pain... lucky yea you get 12 weeks. I get 6 weeks if I have a vaginal birth and 8 for C-section. Plus, I only get 70% of my salary while on maternity leave... I'm the sole bread winner in our house, so I have to supplement my personal time off to get me up to 100%.

However, I am a government contractor and work on a small team... so, nobody can cover for me. I actually have to work while I'm on leave. I probably won't have to do too many hours a week but still, it is very annoying to not be able to just "be off". The only plus side is I wouldn't have to use ALL my leave while I'm out.

That is so tough! I completely feel the nobody can cover for me pain. My boss is freaking out too. I was the second employee and there's a lot of things I do that people just can't cover for. Job security I guess? Hah. Anyway I'm so sorry that you'll for have to work. Are you going to set some ground rules you think for how many hours you'll work or what they can call or email you about? I was thinking about making a set time where I will answer questions etc. per week (or less if I can!) to make sure I don't get disturbed during precious sleeping time. I'm a ftm so I also have no idea what to expect. My boss has already asked me to do this pretty big project while I'm out but honestly I said no and he seemed to accept that. Progress there I guess....

Thanks all ladies who replied, there's comfort in numbers!

 

[ashleypauline]

I feel your pain. I only get 6 weeks for vaginal and 8 for csection as well but only 60% of my pay. Which is like nothing! But I ended up on early bed rest so im using short term disability and only getting 60% until she's finally here and I go back to work. I'm a prek teacher but luckily I get to leave worry free

 

[SoBlessedMama]

Im with you. I actually get no paid maternity leave, I only get to take time off without pay (6w vaginal birth, 8w c section) or take sick time (which is what I'm doing and I only have 4w of sick days,to use so I have to go back at the end of the 4 weeks)
I'm a teacher and will have a substitute but I'm still responsible for my classes' lessons, grading, and scores (my evaluation scores will be determined by how well the students are doing and we all know (if you've been in the US educational system ever) how well students listen to and learn from a sub!)
so I will be working, getting calls, making calls and basically doing everything I normally do except physically being at the school during my "leave"

Yuck, I feel ya! I'm a teacher, and I got to take 11 weeks, but it was over thanksgiving and Christmas, so I only pay for about 8.

My principal hired this "awesome" sub. She has a literacy background, works at a local college GRADING COLLEGE ESSAYS. I teach 5th grade literacy. The day before 5 weeks progress reports were due, she panicked and went to my partner teacher, and admitted she had NO grades. The ungraded papers included 150 essays. (I have 2 blocks, for a total of 50 students.) She had assigned 3 essays over the course of 5 weeks (awesome!) and graded exactly zero (infuriating.)

My lit team is amazing, so they each took a stack and graded them. But HOLY MOLEY!! I even set her up with another lit teacher who was doing her lesson plans for her, making all her copies, etc. Literally, all the woman had to do was grade.

Worse than that, she hates my kids. : ( Lol you know how that is--I can be mean to my kids. But no one else better try it!

So, that was pretty much a catastrophe. But...I said all that to say...the world has kept turning, and I have had an absolute BLAST being home with my 4 year old and baby. So ladies, try not to worry too much--I understand nothing will be like we want it while we are gone. (Because we are the best!) ; ) But use your time to focus on your little one, help work where you can, and trust that the rest will work out. : )

 

[hanni]

I can't believe how little maternity leave ladies in the US get.
Does that mean you can't stop working until you're about to pop? Say if you only get 8 weeks and you can't work past 32, would you HAVE to go back to work as soon as baby was born? It's absolutely crazy!

I'm starting my maternity at 32 weeks, I work night shift in an extremely busy environment which just isn't safe or suitable, I can't imagine having no choice but to work until the very end. I feel so sorry for you guys!

 

[emeeorevan]

I can't believe how little maternity leave ladies in the US get.
Does that mean you can't stop working until you're about to pop? Say if you only get 8 weeks and you can't work past 32, would you HAVE to go back to work as soon as baby was born? It's absolutely crazy!

I'm starting my maternity at 32 weeks, I work night shift in an extremely busy environment which just isn't safe or suitable, I can't imagine having no choice but to work until the very end. I feel so sorry for you guys!

it really depends on the job and situation. No company legally HAS to give/offer paid maternity leave. Some do, some offer part time disability pay at a % of your old pay and others (like my job) offer none but you can purchase additional disability insurance to cover all or part of your pay for so long (usually doesn't exceed 12 weeks).
the only true job protection we have is that as long as your company has over a certain number of employees (I wanna say 20 or 30?) then legally they have to let you take up to 12weeks (or how ever long you are under a doctors care) off UNPAID under FMLA (family &medical leave act) and still have your job to come back to.

I'm lucky . I get to be off for two weeks for Christmas break before before I take maternity leave/sick time. So I will be off at 37+4 and simply not return until baby is 4-6 weeks old depending on when she is born.
this is my selfish reason for hoping little girl comes on her own sometime this week or two (between 37-38 weeks).
if she is born on Dec 20th (37+5) than I will get to be off with her for the full 6 weeks that I'm under doctors care.

 

[pansorie]

My job has short term disability. The first week we have to use PTO, but weeks 2-9 is 100% base pay (I get a differential with my base pay, so it will still be less) 9-13 is 60%. I was real pissed about having to use my PTO, but my doctor says that what I have is very good.

I work in the financial world.

 

[emeeorevan]

Pansorie: what you have is really good!
unfortunately that is the difference between the profit and not for profit sectors!

 

[emeeorevan]

Worse than that, she hates my kids. : ( Lol you know how that is--I can be mean to my kids. But no one else better try it!

So, that was pretty much a catastrophe. But...I said all that to say...the world has kept turning, and I have had an absolute BLAST being home with my 4 year old and baby. So ladies, try not to worry too much--I understand nothing will be like we want it while we are gone. (Because we are the best!) ; ) But use your time to focus on your little one, help work where you can, and trust that the rest will work out. : )

thanks. I do need to remember not to stress. you 're right, we are the best!
my students are 1st graders who are struggling to read. I had to find my own sub but she had to be preapproved by the principal so I still didn't get much of a choice. My sub is used to middle schoolers. If she has a problem with my littles I will flip and so will the parents! Lol!! After all, my students are my kids! I would stick up for any of them.just as I would my own.
I'm just worried as I will be out during the worst time for a sub: the dead of winter here which means snow days and early dismissals! And my sub doesn't know my kids like I do. So I will be worrying, but I hope my new lo keeps my mind off it.

 

[SoBlessedMama]

They really are our kids! And mama bear comes out when someone isn't being nice to them lol. I'm a little worried about coming back right before our first round of testing. Blech. It just makes me a bit nervous to know I've only taught them 1/2 of the school year so far, but of course I will be held accountable for how and what they've learned, even when I wasn't there. But it will work out!

 

[mod19]

I'm sorry you don't get to leave worry free. I'm sure that's stressful and unneeded.

Fortunately for me dh will get his bonus check (will pribably be around $7000-$10,000) around when she is born. I work in a company that has less than 50 employees so they do not have to give me 12 weeks off, but I'm taking it unpaid. I do get to leave worry free because I don't intend on returning to the same job after I have her. The 3 months post birth will be used looking for a better job with better hours and better pay. I'm definitely overqualified for what I do.

 

[Amythyst]

I can't believe how little maternity leave ladies in the US get.
Does that mean you can't stop working until you're about to pop? Say if you only get 8 weeks and you can't work past 32, would you HAVE to go back to work as soon as baby was born? It's absolutely crazy!

I'm starting my maternity at 32 weeks, I work night shift in an extremely busy environment which just isn't safe or suitable, I can't imagine having no choice but to work until the very end. I feel so sorry for you guys!

Yea basically, if you take the leave before you give birth then you'd have to come back sooner after you have the baby. I consider myself very lucky in that my company has a great telework policy and my boss is very considerate and is letting me work from home 4 days a week now and then when I get closer to the due date I'll just work from home all week long. I think they would probably let me work from home more after my short term disability is up as well.

When not pregnant, I usually only work from home two days a week.

I am not sure if I'll have a "set" timeframe when I'm on leave for them to have me "work" and answer emails and stuff. I'm going to assume I'll be on more of a "whenever I can" sort of schedule with the baby and not knowing if he is gonna sleep all night or be a fussy boy etc... luckily hubby is home and doesn't work, so I can off load on him as well.

 

[Kato2]

Omg I am shocked by the lack of time off you get in US! We get 9-12 months in UK subsidised by government (full pay for 6 weeks, remainder around £130 per week) but then the company can offer a maternity package on top of that. So will most of you have to return to work when baby is 3 months old? I am not the norm as I run my own business so will be back after a few weeks and always feel hard done to because of that but had no idea US offerred such poor support for new mums!

 

[mod19]

Yeah in the US its the norm to return to work after 8-12 weeks.

 

[Ziggie]

How can you raise your babies if you're not offered the opportunity to be with them so sad.

I was able to take 6 weeks annual leave (full pay) before taking maternity leave. I won't return to work till December 2015!!! If I decide to go back at all.

 

[SoBlessedMama]

UK ladies, you have an awesome deal!! : )

Please no one roast me for this--I don't mean anything negative, I'm just ignorant and curious lol. Firstly, I think it is fabulous that some countries offer subsidized extended maternity leaves. (With my US teaching job, I am offered 12 unpaid weeks, and I have to use my sick leave and personal days.) The only thing I'm wondering--and again, it is out of ignorance! What about people who can't have babies due to health, or people who simply choose not to have babies? Do general taxes help pay for maternity leave? If so, does this not cause an issue for those people?

I completely understand and GREATLY appreciate the fact that time invested early on creates supported kids who then hopefully grow into productive citizens. But do all citizens help pay for these babies to have mom at home for so long? (If so, that's awesome! Just a new concept to me.) Again, just curious, so please don't take it harshly lol!

 

[Ziggie]

Yes we live in an altruistic society. My taxes go towards many many things, health care, maternity, social housing, social care.

Personally I wouldn't have it any other way I pay for things I will never need to use. But if I did, they're there no problem. Doesn't mean we don't have issues or poverty. But there's help.