Hellobee Boards

@Purpledaisy: LOL I saw it earlier but didn't have time to respond. I'll try to wall you tonight or tomorrow night! Gotta put some work hours in first.

I live in New York.

1. My maternity leave was 10 weeks. I am a teacher so I took the last week of school off using sick days. The rest of my maternity leave was summer vacation. I would've liked two more weeks home but didn't want to miss the beginning of the school year. I could have used sick days if I wanted to.

2. Taking a slightly longer maternity leave would've made me a better employee because I would've been better rested. There were mornings I had a venti Starbucks frappuccino and I still almost fell asleep.

3. I'm sure the current maternity laws affect low wage workers more so than higher earners. Many don't have a choice but to go back to work quickly after giving birth. They can't afford to take the time off since it's most likely unpaid.

4. I would like to see a paid 12 week maternity leave in the United States in my lifetime. I think that's a fair amount of time off.

1. I had a couple (2) weeks before LO was born and 13 weeks after. It was a fine amount of time; I was fine with going back to work at 13 weeks and didn't feel like I wanted a longer amount. If I had more paid time, I would have also been fine with that - but I wasn't upset about going back to work when I did. Honestly, I need more mental stimulation than taking care of an infant provides, so I was happy to get back to working.

2. I don't think it would have made me a better employee - maybe the opposite. For me personally, LO's get really fun around 9 months. If I had a year long leave, it would have been much harder to go back to work than it was to go back at 13 weeks, which would have made me a more distracted and less engaged employee.

3. YES. In 75 font YES. lol. Of course they do; we have no paid leave at all in the US. You want pay, you have to either have an employer who pays for it ("it" being short term disability insurance) - which employers are not doing for low income employees en masse, or *you* pay for it, which low income earners more often than not won't pay for / can't pay for. Which ends up with many lower income earners becoming SAHM/P utilizing services (food stamps, medicaid, TANF) which costs everyone more in the long run than a paid maternity leave would.

4. I would like to see at least 6 weeks paid; ideally 12. Even at 75% pay; I think that would be more doable for even low income earners. I'd also like to see expanded FMLA leave for children with special needs (NICU, etc.) that need parents to be able to leave work for more than 12 weeks with job protection.

I live in Kentucky.

1. How long was your maternity leave and were you satisfied with the amount of leave that you received? Would you rather have had more (or less) time? Why?

My maternity leave was 12 weeks. I was satisfied in that I was able to take that long (I am not covered by FMLA), but ideally I would have taken more time off from work. My LO was born in the fall, so when I went back to work it was the height of cold/flu season. It would have been nice to wait a bit longer before putting her in day care.

2. How do you think that being able to take a longer maternity leave would have made you a better employee?

Being able to take a longer maternity leave would definitely have made me a better employee. Like I said before, LO started daycare in the middle of cold and flu season. I spent two weeks out of work because she was sick and then I got very ill (sinus infection, mastitis, and eye infection). I also would have generally been more well-rested and ready to focus on work. It's only been in the last month or two that I've been able to focus on my work instead of constantly worrying about LO.

3. Do you think that current maternity leave laws affect low wage workers negatively? How so?

The current laws definitely affect low wage workers negatively. Minimum wage is already too low to really live on. I know one woman who went back to work (at a daycare) after two weeks because she couldn't afford to stay home longer.

4. How would you like to see maternity leave in the United States change in your lifetime?

I would really like to see the US offer paid maternity leave to all workers for at least twelve weeks, and then offer another 12 weeks off unpaid. Ideally, you would be able to alternate the 12 weeks paid with the 12 unpaid so that you could stretch your dollars out over the maternity period.

California

1. How long was your maternity leave and were you satisfied with the amount of leave that you received? Would you rather have had more (or less) time? Why?

20 weeks total, 3 prior to delivery. I thought it was a good amount of time. I couldn't imagine going back at or before 12 weeks. LO had colic at that point. Since I went back at 4 months we were able to sleep train prior to my return (not recommended by anyone prior to 4 months that I know of - and just for bedtime, not through the night). Also LO wouldn't take the bottle when I went back. She didn't eat for two days at daycare. I couldn't do that to a baby younger than 4 months. Looking back I can't believe the doctor told me to do it. Argh - I sound like the worst mom ever. If I stayed home longer than 6 months I would have probably started questioning my decision.

2. How do you think that being able to take a longer maternity leave would have made you a better employee?

Sleep - my god the sleep. I was a zombie the first few months back. I also wouldn't have spent so much time pumping.

3. Do you think that current maternity leave laws affect low wage workers negatively? How so?

Yes. Assuming they don't have a whole lot of savings banked they need to go back sooner to contribute to their family's income. I took the max leave allowed but if we were living pay check to paycheck I would have had to return earlier. I think all moms deserve to stay to home for the first few months.

4. How would you like to see maternity leave in the United States change in your lifetime?

I would like so see communication about maternity leave laws improved NOW. California extends rights to workers that most don't even know about. I got different information from my doctor, my HR, my company handbook, my friend an HR director, and CA law. I was so confused I almost hired a maternity leave consultant (that shouldn't even be a thing). I regret not doing it because I missed out on some stuff. Plus while I was on leave HR called me to tell me my agreed upon (and legal) leave was not approved. Major stress I didn't need.

Also my co-workers gave me a hard time for taking more than my allotted time because they didn't understand that I took what I was entitled to. Most people can't afford to take the time they are allowed so very few people know it exists.

Of course I'll say full pay on maternity leave and longer maternity leave too.

Thought you might like to read this post from Cup of Jo, the mom talks about the amazing prenatal care and maternity leave she got:
http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2014/07/20-surprising-things-about-parenting-in.html

I'm in Canada, but for interest's sake I'll answer. I'm in BC.

1. How long was your maternity leave and were you satisfied with the amount of leave that you received? Would you rather have had more (or less) time? Why?
My maternity leave was two of my weeks of vacation prior to giving birth and then one year partially paid, with the option to take a second year off with no pay, or to return to the company for a year as a "duty to accommodate" that you can essentially work as much or as little as you like, but guaranteed to return to a position of "equal pay and responsibility" at the end of two years. I'm returning to work next week after one year and I think I'm satisfied with the length of time. HOWEVER, up until two years ago we had as part of our benefits that our employer topped up the 55% of your pay up to $485/week that I receive from employment insurance (EI) to a full 90% of whatever our salary is, so I wish that would have still been in effect. I'm not sure that even with the option to have the full year with partial pay that many people can make it work on half their salary, so many don't take the full year. I think our plan is for me to take two years next time, which should prevent us from having two kids in day care as LO#1 will be in kindergarten when I return.

That said, in the 10 years I worked, I've paid a fair bit of money into EI and so has DH. We're emergency services workers, so never likely to be relieved of our duties in any fashion that would allow us to collect EI. I think we've paid into that fund far more than I collected this year, so I wonder if a a self funded savings account would have been better for us than the socialist approach we have now??

2. How do you think that being able to take a longer maternity leave would have made you a better employee?
If I'd had to return to work after 12 weeks I simply would have quit, so I guess if no employee is a worse employee... haha. Even if I didn't quit it's hard to say what would have happened. There are very few day care spaces of infants in the first place, so even if I'd been willing to go back, not sure I could have found care for her.

3. Do you think that current maternity leave laws affect low wage workers negatively? How so?

We get paid at 55% provided you worked prior to maternity leave, so half of less is less, obviously.

4. How would you like to see maternity leave in the United States change in your lifetime?
The US structure for most things is very much into personal responsibility and seems to think anything resembling a socialist policy is a bad thing, so while I don't really expect there to be funding for pretty much the reasons I stated above in regards to the amount we paid to EI to far exceed what we received, I think an extended period of at least having to hold your position would be beneficial.

I really don't see what the big deal would be to hold positions for people longer for companies if they didn't have to pay them. In Canada, backfilling for someone who's on a maternity leave is something almost every person I know has done, and it can be a great way to cross train employees and give people a foot in the door or a shot at a higher position, to be able to just try it out for a year. In my case, my leave caused a domino effect of 7 people being "promoted" for the year, which I think is great.

I'm in NZ so probably not your target audience but I wanted to respond anyway just to offer another (and external) perspective.

1. How long was your maternity leave and were you satisfied with the amount of leave that you received? Would you rather have had more (or less) time? Why?

NZ parental leave includes fourteen (soon to be sixteen) weeks of paid leave funded by the Government (approx. $500 gross per week) and a further 38 weeks of unpaid leave that can be taken by either parent (providing the mother has completed twelve months of service). Parental leave automatically ends at either 52 weeks or when the child turns one. Employers are legally required to hold the parent's position until the cessation of the leave unless it is considered specialist.

I personally took the full year of leave, plus five weeks of accrued annual leave prior to baby arriving and although I chose not to return to work, I felt like this was definitely a fair chunk of leave and I could have returned to work at around six months if I absolutely had to..

2. How do you think that being able to take a longer maternity leave would have made you a better employee?

This is not so applicable to my particular experience but there was no way I would've have been able to return to work prior to around six months post partum. I worked in payroll and any potential mistakes that I might've made could have negatively affected a lot of people! My gut also tells me that the earlier babies go into care then the more likely they are to get sick and therefore the requirement for sick days increases.

3. Do you think that current maternity leave laws affect low wage workers negatively? How so?

Unfortunately children of low wage workers are probably at higher risk due to many other factors related to socio-economic status so current US laws probably put them at an even bigger disadvantage - particular if families struggle to afford quality childcare.

4. How would you like to see maternity leave in the United States change in your lifetime?

I think it's absolutely cruel that mothers / families are expected to put newborn babies into care at such a young age and then function as though nothing has changed. I don't necessarily believe that employers or the government should be funding a full year or even six months of paid leave, but safeguarding a woman's employment for a reasonable period of time would definitely provide families with a greater range of options.

Oregon

1. I had 16 weeks of maternity leave (eight weeks on short-term disability, and the other a paid out by my employer). That's much more than is the norm in my state, but I have a great employer. I would of course love to have something closer to a year, but I feel like for my peers and the US in general, 16 weeks is pretty good.

2. Think it would make me a better employee because i would have more confidence putting her in someone else's care when she's a bit older. That would make me less anxious at work. Granted I haven't gone back to work yet so I'm not sure how those feelings really translate yet!

3. Yes, I feel like those who make a lower wage have less maternity time because they have less benefits.

4. I'd love to see a year of maternity leave be the norm. I think that our country has yet to realize the importance of maternity and paternity leave, and I hope that both gain the attention they deserve in the future.