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I think you have to be somewhere a year to qualify for FMLA? I could be wrong. Do you know if you qualify based on company size? Same thing for us- we waited to TTC until DH was in his job for a few months- turns out he did not even qualify for FMLA because of the amount of employees in his area- he works from home. But we were easily able to work something out with his boss.

I was in that position twice and regret having waited both times. I had it in my head that I needed to have been at my job a year before even announcing a pregnancy so I waited about 9 months before ttc kid #1. Fortunately, I got pregnant easily that time. When kid #1 turned one, I decided to switch jobs but again felt like I had to prove myself before getting pregnant with kid #2. Unfortunately for me, this time it took two losses and 14 months to get pregnant with kid #2. I had actually always wanted three but now I'm 37 and kid #2 is only 4 months old and given my prior challenges, I'm not sure what will be in the cards for me. I know hindsight is 20/20 but I kind of wish I'd realized that jobs can come and go but my family life is more important. I should also note that my sister announced she was pregnant after getting an offer but before beginning a new job and everyone was extremely understanding (and she qualified for her company's leave policy). My advice is to put "you" first because you'll never regret it but you might regret it if you don't.

I would encourage you to wait a few months (2-3) before TTC so that you can be sure to qualify for FMLA. I have had friends who got pregnant with a due date less than a year after their start date and they did not qualify. At our agency that meant only 6 weeks of disability leave (vaginal birth) or 8 weeks (c section) before they had to come back. So that would be my concern about FMLA, not about getting fired.

If you get pregnant in a few months you will have the chance to work for at least a year to "prove yourself" before going out on leave.

In my case I started a job in July, I think we decided to start trying in December, got pregnant in February, announced in May and went on leave in November. I got a promotion while pregnant so it can work out, but that does depend on your company's view of working parents i think.

Wait the three months to qualify for FMLA. In the grand scheme of life, three months is a VERY short time. I don't consider waiting a few months to make a smart choice that will affect your career AND your options for taking care of your baby after birth to be "putting your life on hold".

I just started a new job and am in a similar situation. We want to TTC soon (but not for age reasons) and I really think I could stay at this company for the rest of my career. Our plan is to wait about a few months so I would qualify for FMLA if I were to conceive easily.

I would also recommend waiting a few months, but maybe 4-6. You might need to leave work earlier than your due date, so just keep that in mind when planning. I definitely don't think you need to be in the job a whole year before trying though!

A few months doesn't seem like a big deal in terms of TTC if it will have a major impact on leave availability or your career prospects. My career is also important to me, but I personally wouldn't wait much more than that. I would think about the best and worst case scenario from waiting and do what you're comfortable with. We started TTC when I was 33 and so far it has been a longer and harder process than I had initially hoped, with no take home baby in sight. I'm so glad not to have waited longer and sort of wished that I'd given it more weight relative to my career earlier (though no major regrets).

I agree with what others have said - I'd wait probably 3-4 months before trying to conceive primarily for FMLA since you need to be at the company for at least one year before you can be eligible.

I wouldn't be too concerned about your age, but you have to do what you feel the most comfortable with. There are plenty of women in their late 30's that conceive right away and women in their mid-20's that take over a year. You just never know unfortunately.

You'd only have to wait two more months to be FMLA eligible ASSUMING you don't deliver early, right? Honestly I would probably end up just "NTNP" a couple months assuming things are ok financially. As far as not doing 100% your first year that's likely with morning sickness if you get pregnant anytime in the first year. I'm probably a little biased but it took us awhile at 24/25/26 to get our second baby... so even though 34 is still pretty young I would be nervous to take any chances depending how many you want total. But ultimately it's so personal, I think you and your husband probably know what risks (career/life/otherwise) you can/will take.

@Wanderlusternyc: I was in a similar boat and also had the same angst, but real wasn't sure how long it would take to fall pregnant...so we took a fun family holiday instead to while away some of the three month wait, then started trying after that and luckily got our bfp after two cycles trying, which qualified me for paid mat leave. The wait wasn't really that long in hindsight, and I used that time to do pre-conception stuff like acupuncture and clean eating, vitamins etc. In saying all this, if you don't want to wait, just go for it...I just wanted to be at my new job for at least one year before leaving

The advice I want to give you is to wait until you know for sure that you would be offered the same benefits and leave as someone who had been the for a year...whether that's because you defer TTC by 3-4 cycles so you are there for at least a year, or you find that there's a specific policy covering you or that mulitple coworkers have been afforded the leave and benefits with less than a year of employment.

That said, I'm TTC in the midst of leaving my current job with nothing new (except grad school) lined up. So, big grain of salt.