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I took six months, mostly unpaid. My job only offers the FMLA 12 weeks but I didn't feel that 12 weeks was enough time with a new baby so I just decided on 6 months. I'm nearing the end now and will return to work soon. I wish I could keep spending more time with LO but it's a good time to go back now. I absolutely would not have been ready any earlier, and I don't feel like LO was either.

I took 13 weeks (only 8 of it partially paid, rest unpaid) and I hated going back to work at that point. I cried my whole drive to work and several more times a day every day for the first few months back to work. But it was so much better than anything shorter.

I had originally planned on 8 weeks but completely changed my mind once LO was born and renegotiated with my boss and we landed at 13 weeks (I asked for 16 weeks then). If I ever have another LO I will do whatever it takes to take 16-18 weeks. In a perfect world I think I personally need 8-9 months (what they get in the UK) but I'd need to quit my job entirely to get that myself.

It is so rough!

I teach at a career college, I took 16 weeks off for my first and returned part-time. For my second I took a month off, and ended up going back to work at 2 1/2 weeks after baby. I'm very glad I took longer for my first since I had no idea what to expect. For my second I was just fine since I was only part-time.

I had short term disability and 8 weeks leave with my first and used some vacation time. The second time was all PTO since I didn't qualify for short-term anymore.