I know this has been asked before, but I'd love to get another survey! I just started a new job, and their policy is 10 weeks off (partially paid) and two weeks half-time before coming back full-time.
How long was your maternity leave? Was it paid/unpaid? Feel free to explain in the comments.
120 votes
pomegranate / 3895 posts
8 weeks paid - it was part of my hiring package, as I was poached from another firm when I was 5 weeks pregnant.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
6 weeks paid
3 weeks vacation (saved it all)
3 weeks unpaid
Can't be out longer then 12 weeks.
GOLD / pomegranate / 3688 posts
I negotiated to take 16 weeks. It was all unpaid, but I used some sick time and some LWOP.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
My company doesn't have a maternity leave policy. I took 12 weeks per FMLA broken out as follows:
STD - 8 weeks (I had a c section) paid at 100%
Vacation - 2 weeks
Unpaid - 2 weeks
Payment on STD is based on your title or years of service.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
I haven't officially sat down w/ HR to discuss my upcoming maternity leave yet, but she gave me a quick summary and it's 12 weeks FMLA, and I think half of that I can take disability and get paid some tiny amount?
GOLD / coconut / 8266 posts
I had 10 weeks with one of those weeks paid. I gave birth at the end of the school year so it was only that long because I had the summer. I do not get paid over the summer.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
I was nanny, and she let me take as long as I wanted, but unpaid. I took about 12-15 weeks.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
6 months (this is not standard, I requested it). 6 weeks were paid through disability, 2 weeks paid using saved vacation days, and the rest was unpaid.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
12 weeks total.
6 weeks were short term disability - I had banked sick time to cover this, so I was paid 100%, otherwise it would've been 70%.
6 weeks were covered by my vacation time that I had been saving for two years.
eggplant / 11824 posts
I took 2 weeks before LO was born (I was pulled from work, I would have kept working), and had 13 weeks after she was born.
7 weeks were at 100% pay through STD (6 weeks of STD and my company paid the elimination week, so 7 weeks of total pay)
4 weeks were at 100% pay through my banked PTO
the remainder was unpaid.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
2 weeks unpaid, 4 weeks paid at 60% through STD.
6 weeks using PTO/unpaid
GOLD / squash / 13576 posts
It ended up being 4 months. 3 months (including vacation I saved up) and then I worked from home for 1 month. So, all paid.
pineapple / 12793 posts
I'm in Canada and reluctant to answer because our leave here is so generous.
I had a year with partial pay.
pineapple / 12566 posts
LO1 - 4 months full pay
LO2 - 5 months unpaid, but I am now self-employed
ETA - if I were a salaried worker when LO2 was born, I would have had 12 months at 80% salary.
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
I was able to take FMLA so that was 12 weeks, and it ran concurrently with any other time off I had so here's the break down for me:
1st week - full pay from company (parental leave)
2-7th week - 2/3 pay from Short Term Disability
8-10th week - full pay by using my PTO days
11-12th week - zero pay
pomegranate / 3921 posts
@oliviaoblivia: Don't feel bad about the generous leave! It's awesome, and we need it here, too. 
cantaloupe / 6397 posts
@oliviaoblivia: same
I had just over 12 months, 12 months of it was partial pay, and then a couple of weeks were unpaid as I waited to start my new job.
pomegranate / 3921 posts
@BakerBee: @lilteacherbee: @Mamaof2: @swedishfish: @rachiecakes: How was going back to work after less than 12 weeks off? I always assumed I'd have the full 12 weeks (had FMLA at my old job) and am a little worried about going back before that, even though it's ages away and it's only cut short by 2 weeks. I'm going to survive, right?
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
I think it was 6 weeks at 60% pay, 7 weeks unpaid. I kept all my PTO
watermelon / 14467 posts
12 weeks, partially paid though saved vacation, sick, and comp time. My company requires you to use your remaining vacation, sick, and comp time concurrently with you leave.
pomelo / 5791 posts
We don't get any paid maternity leave. You have to use sick/vacation time that is saved up. I was lucky to have 3 months. It was really hard coming back. If we have a second child, I have no idea how I'll do it because I have almost no leave!
pomegranate / 3895 posts
@mfa_lady: Talk to me in October 
- but, I think it helps that I have family local and I LOVE his mother's day out program. I think it'll be hard no matter what - I'm especially worried because I'm having a c-section (bad baby is frank breech and I'm not a candidate for ECV), but I'm really praying that I focus on the 8 weeks I have as opposed to the 4 additional weeks I wish I had. I think leaving your baby is hard either way - even for those with the 1 year leave!
honeydew / 7303 posts
I took 10 weeks all unpaid at my last job.
This time I will take 12-16 with std and some sick/vacation pay but nowhere near even half my salary will be covered.
pomegranate / 3921 posts
@BakerBee: Such a smart outlook! I'm mostly worried about sleep, honestly...but we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there!
persimmon / 1404 posts
I don't have kids, but I live in Canada so I would get a full 12 months with partial pay. The maternity leave pay we receive is pretty low, it's a percentage of your income upto a certain maximum. I don't know anyone who has recieved less than the maximum because the max salary amount is pretty low fo rmy area.
My company also tops up to 100% for the first 12 weeks.
However, I realize how incredibly lucky we are to get a leave like this and for it to be paid. I have some friends in the US and it breaks my heart to hear of them going back to work when their babies are still newborns!
pomelo / 5524 posts
@Mamasig: My company is very similar to yours.
Because there is no maternity leave policy, I took my FMLA broken out as follows:
Short Term Disability - 8 weeks b/c of C-section paid at 100%
Vacation - 4 weeks - 100% paid
If I didn't have vacation time, the last 4 weeks would have been unpaid. Because I've been with my company for over 10 years, I have loads of vacation to use towards an unpaid leave.
pomegranate / 3895 posts
@mfa_lady: If I let myself, I can spin out with worry - pumping is a huge one for me. Just the logistics of it all in a small office. My husband keeps reminding me that worry is a rocking chair - it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere. There are so many unknowns in pregnancy and motherhood - you just have to keep swimming and focus on what you can control - which is making the most of those 10 weeks with your sweet baby!
clementine / 912 posts
@ValentineMommy: This.
I'm not even pregnant and it gives me anxiety just thinking about my leave for LO #2.
pomegranate / 3921 posts
@BakerBee: Amen, sister! (And thank goodness for logical husbands, yes?) Pumping was a huge worry for me before I started at this job....and while I'm still worried, there have luckily been lots of pregnant ladies to go before me, so even though it's not easy, everyone is used to the process of having someone pumping in the office.
pear / 1510 posts
My sick/vacation leave ran concurrent with unpaid FMLA. I had about 2 weeks 60% covered by short term disability. With the vacation, sick and STD, I ended up with about three weeks unpaid.
I hate parental leave in the US.
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