https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 25 Apr 2026 21:19:53 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-11227 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:36:56 +0000 cyndistar3 11227@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am already a stay at home mom so I don't get any time off lol... But honestly, I don't know what I would do if I had to go back to work 8 weeks after having my LO, I would miss him/her so much :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-11221 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:26:42 +0000 jennylynn 11221@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can take 12 weeks under my STD, but it only covers 50% of pay. So, unfortunately we can only afford for me to take around 6-8 weeks because that's all the PTO I'll have to supplement the lost income. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-11170 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:39:46 +0000 MsMini 11170@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm in Canada as well, and I will take my 50 weeks for sure! DH's job is really accommodating, and lets them take up to a month of banked time when their wife has a baby (as long as they aren't too busy), and I think DH plans to take up to a month off as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-11160 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:32:00 +0000 Mrs. D 11160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm also in Canada, so i should be eligible for Mat leave when the baby comes, I just have to hope I collect enough hours (600), between now and then. If I hadn't been on unemployment in the summer I'd be fine. If I am eligible, then a year, if I'm not, i guess it depends on daycare costs versus how much I'd make at work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-5302 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:21:57 +0000 katdevargas 5302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My company doesn't pay for mat leave at all - we have a short term disability policy I'll be able to use, though - it's 6-12 weeks, but only more than 6 weeks if there were medical complications &amp; it pays 60% of what you make. You also have to take 5 days off before it kicks in, &amp; I'm trying to build up my comp time so that I'm able to take more time off. Right now, including everything, it looks like I will be able to take off 8-is weeks. It makes me want to cry. The husbone &amp; I both want me to be able to stay at home, but it looks like that will not be able to immediately happen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-4956 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:37:30 +0000 bakingAbug 4956@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My STD policy will pay me $1000 per month for a max of 3 months., They typically only pay 6 weeks for a vaginal and 8 weeks for a c-section and that is after a 14 day waiting period so you really only get paid 4 weeks and 6 weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-4939 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:28:43 +0000 reggie 4939@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a teacher so I was off during the summer. Eli was born on 8/14 and I will be back to work after Thanksgiving (he will be 15 weeks then)... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-4930 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:50:53 +0000 sandsandmore 4930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did 8 weeks of STD from the c-section but then returned to work so that I could save time for when the boys came home from the NICU. Ended up never using anymore time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-4929 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:35:37 +0000 Shutterbug 4929@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can take 12 weeks under FMLA, but my company has 5 weeks paid @ 60%, so that's 7 weeks unpaid. I plan to take the whole thing. </p> <p>Has anyone heard of paying for supplemental short term disability insurance that covers maternity leave? DH told me he read about policies that pay you $5,000 in the event you have a baby or something like that, once you're on it for a year. It sounds like a scam to me, but he swears it's really a thing.</p> <p>Also, my company has offices all over the world, and it's crazy how much mat. leave varies country to country. I was talking to a co-worker who's based out of Russia, and she said they get like 18 months or 2 years., something like that. She thought we were insane to go back to work after 6 wks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-4927 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:25:51 +0000 bakingAbug 4927@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My company allows 88 days of Pregnancy Disability leave which combines pre and post natal leave which is paid at something like 60% by SDI. FMLA runs concurrently and then we receive 12 weeks (6 of them paid at 60%) CA Baby Bonding leave so I have just over 4 months or something of that sort. Unfortunately, not all of it is paid so I'll probably be heading back to work a little early. I did get a supplemental disability policy though to help offset our finances. It's kind of scary though being down one income. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-4924 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:13:18 +0000 mamabolt 4924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am eligible for FMLA and hope to take the full 12 weeks. My company doesn't have a short term disability plan though, and I'll only have been at the job for 16 months before going on leave, so I won't have enough PTO banked to cover the entire leave, only about half of it. DH and I are hoping to save enough money so I can take the rest off without hurting us financially. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-4885 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:41:56 +0000 mrsjyw 4885@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I get 8 weeks paid 100% and can take up to 10 more months at 100% because I pay for supplemental disability insurance which covers maternity leave (but your time off varies depending on dr and needs approval). My job is also flexible and I work from home now once a week. I plan on taking 12-16 weeks maternity leave and then working from home as frequently as I can until going back full time (4 days in the office). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1352 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:03:33 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 1352@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hey everyone!!! I know in Quebec (we are paid a little better than the rest of Canada) this is the breakdown </p> <p>Maternity leave (only mommy) : 16 weeks at 70% of your salary<br /> Paternity leave (only daddy) : 5 weeks at 70% of your salary<br /> Parental leave (either mom or dad) 5 weeks at 70% of your salary 29 weeks at 55% of your salary. </p> <p>The parental leave can be split amongst the parents. So for example I can do the first 19 weeks and then the hubs finishes the leave with 10 weeks with baby. We can't alternate weeks though. It needs to be a block. </p> <p>Also our maternity leave insures our job when we come back. So no stressing on that end. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1342 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:47:59 +0000 LazyLightning 1342@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Someone else from canada can surely explain the canadian system better...but it is paid leave. I believe they have a choice of 6 months full pay or 12 months reduced pay.. But I am not totally sure. Also I think their medical stuff is fully covered. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1334 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:01:48 +0000 Adira 1334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jenna - do you know if 12 weeks is low for the US? I certainly wouldn't be surprised to know they are low for the world, but I'm curious about US-only stats. I know we're all work-a-holics and 12 weeks seems to be about standard around where I live. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1332 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:53:45 +0000 Jenna 1332@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira, I remember looking at a chart of maternity leave stats across the world, and at 12 weeks we're actually in the lower group, by far. We get the standard 6 weeks of mat leave plus 6 weeks of bonding time.</p> <p>However, I think I'm going to take that, exhaust my vacation and sick time and then quit. It all depends on our resources at the time, I suppose. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1329 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:43:20 +0000 LazyLightning 1329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If I'm at my current job at that time, at least 12 weeks. We don't get any mat-leave, but you can take your sick leave and that's how much I'll hopefully have banked. After it runs out, I'll probably take more unpaid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1282 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:34:13 +0000 meaganceleste 1282@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm taking as much as they'll let me! I'm hoping that after we have a baby, I'll be able to work part-time or from home, but that's wishful thinking! </p> <p>@blushink I'm so jealous of Canadian maternity leave!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1263 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:04:00 +0000 chopsuey 1263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i quit my job to be a full time stay at home mommy! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1258 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:43:20 +0000 tequiero21 1258@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blushink - wow! i heard canada had good maternity leave but didn't realize it was that good!!! i'm assuming it's unpaid?</p> <p>i think i'll quit working so i'll have "indefinite" maternity leave. my company is pretty lenient though. they'll work with me. if i want to come back in a few years, i think they'd be open to it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1256 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:39:31 +0000 Adira 1256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>WOW! I thought 12 was good, but sounds like other places have it even better! 50!!! I think I'd be so behind if I left my job for a whole year, haha! But good for you!</p> <p>@jbhops - my company also has FMLA and it is only paid if you have banked sick time or saved-up vacation time. I currently have enough banked sick for a 12-week maternity leave, so that's my plan! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1252 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:18:55 +0000 winniebee 1252@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>50 weeks?! That's amazing!</p> <p>We are trying to save save save so that I can take more unpaid time off, but I just don't know what is feasible at this point. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1249 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:42:55 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 1249@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took my full 50 weeks off. But that's because I'm in Canada. We have amazing Mat leave here :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1234 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:57:30 +0000 mediagirl 1234@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My company has FMLA but does not offer any paid time off for maternity leave. Also, we have PTO at my company, not vacation / sick leave.</p> <p>They do offer us an option to pay for short term disability that will give us 4 weeks paid time off for vaginal birth and 6 weeks paid time off for c-section. Before you get to that, though you have to take 2 weeks of PTO. Our plan is to have me save up as much PTO as possible. I will probably use it all and then take some unpaid leave to keep me home for a total of 3 months - unless I start going completely bonkers being home alone with an infant and two dogs all day. Then, if we're still on the same calendar year, if I have to take any time off, it will all be unpaid. Boo. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1232 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:52:47 +0000 winniebee 1232@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My firm gives 8 weeks paid and you can take an additional 16 weeks unpaid for a total of 24 weeks (6 months). I'm not sure what we'll do yet but my current thinking is 16-18 weeks (and use 2 weeks of vacation to cut down on unpaid time). I would love to take the entire 24 weeks but living off of my husband's resident's salary for 16 weeks would be rough! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1229 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:40:43 +0000 Adira 1229@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My company allows you to take 12 weeks, so that's my plan! I'm sure I'd love to take 6 months! But 12 weeks is still pretty decent, so I'm happy with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-maternity-leave-are-you-taking#post-1228 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:27:45 +0000 mrbee 1228@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Policies vary widely across companies and countries even... how much maternity leave are you taking? And how much maternity leave would you ideally like to take? </p>