Maternity Leave - Chicago,IL

I waited until after I had my baby. I wanted to spend the full 12 weeks with the baby so I worked right until the very end. Good Luck!
Jenny

E.,

Here's the basics...

- maternity leave is officially defined as short-term disability, due to the birth of a child. Therefore this is a medical leave of absence.

- your maternity leave wills start when your physician says you are medically unable to work - that may be before you deliver due to medical complications or upon delivery. There is usually a short-term disability form your physician willl need to complete on your behalf. This can be done based on your due date so that your paperwork is already on file with your employer/disability company - check with HR

- the medical leave is usually 6 weeks for vaginal, 8 weeks for c-section. Keep in mind, this is usually all or partially paid leave of absence. If you begin BEFORE you deliver, you may use up the "paid" portion and continue on unpaid medical leave after your delivery.

- the 12 weeks people are referring to is called FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). FMLA applies to employees of mid to large sized companies and allows UP TO 12 weeks of unpaid leave (for both men and women) due to the birth or adoption of a child. This is a federal act - you can check out FMLA online and see if you qualify or HR should be able to tell you.

- Your employer will tell you IN WRITING the date the leave starts. They cannot post date it. This tells you that you that your level within the company and a similar job will be guaranteed open once you return from your leave. IT DOES NOT necessarily mean your SAME job. Most often, you get the same job back, but that is not guaranteed.

- Usually, if you are eligible for FMLA, it will run concurrently with the date your medical leave starts. So, for example, you deliver vaginally...from the date of the baby's birth you get six weeks paid maternity leave (medical) and your FMLA starts. After your maternity leave is over, you can continue on unpaid leave for six more weeks (under the FMLA).

- Finally, since most people probably don't know this, FMLA does NOT have to be taken all at once. You may take the 6 weeks maternity/FMLA, then return to work. Then later in the year, working with HR and your boss, you are allowed to take the remaining 6 weeks (for example, if you needed to complete a work project or it was "busy season" and you needed to get back to work or if you child had a medical issue). This has to be pre-approved and paperwork completed - you can't just NOT show up to work and say, "Oh, I was taking more FMLA time." Just remember, this will be unpaid.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please make sure you talk with your HR person or office manager.

Sara

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I was in the office the day I went into labor with my second son. I took 7 full weeks at home after the birthand staggerd two weeks where I was part time and they were in daycare.

Unless there are medical risks (obviously), I'd work as long as possible and then you have more time when the baby comes.

This is up to you and your employer. Study just came out that women who took a week off before their due date were less likely to have a c-section than those who work right up to their delivery. If I had to do all over again...I would take the 3 days off before I was due...then again I was a week over, so I probably would have just said my last day was my due date and took the time to relax, get a massage and organize. :)

Hi,

The right time to go on maternity leave really depends on what you do, what your company policies are, and what your doctor says.
I had a desk job before I became a SAHM, but I had to commute by train into the city. My doctor and I decided that it would be best if i started my maternity leave a little more than 2 weeks before my due date so that it would be easier for me to get to the right hospital if I went into labor.
One thing to think about is that most companies count time you take before the baby is born against your total time off, so if you only have the 12 weeks FMLA gives you, then any time you take before would mean less time with the baby after.

I'm planning on working until the very last minute!

I would wait until the baby is born. If you only get six weeks and you take time before the baby is born you miss that time with the baby and to recover. If you start on your due date (as many people do) and your baby is two weeks late then you end up with only 4 weeks leave.

Check with your HR department. Not every company is covered by FMLA regulations. I *think* the rule is 50 employees within a 50-mile radius.

Assuming you are healthy, your maternity leave starts on the day you deliver your baby. This is a good question to discuss with your healthcare provider. If there are complications, the leave may start sooner.

It all depends how you feel too and what type of job you have. I have a desk job, so it was easy for me to work up till my due date. I also was able to get good night sleep and felt fine. I was lucky and had a very easy pregnancy. I worked that Fri and went into labor on Sun. Since I was coming back to work I wanted as much time to spend with my son. I took 12 weeks off (6 weeks paid under short term disability, 6 weeks FMLA). At 6 weeks I wasn't near ready to go back to work. I don't know how other mothers do it. I was sleep deprived, breastfeeding, and still getting adjusted to being a mom. At 12 weeks though I felt ok to go back to work. I thought but maybe I'm wrong that the law requires a company to give you 12 weeks leave(even though it may be unpaid) if you work for a company for a min of 1 year.

E. -

This is right up my alley. I used to be in HR before I became a SAHM and I specialized in leaves of absence.

Technically, the first day of your maternity leave starts when your doctor says you are disabled and should not work anymore. For most women, this is when they have their baby, but for some it may be before the baby is born (bed rest or a high risk pregnancy). For vaginal delivery it is typically 6 weeks of disability, and for a c-section it is typically 8 weeks of disability.

You will have two things going on while you are on leave. One is how you are paid - this is based on your company's short term disability benfits. This income is provided while you are a considered "disabled" by your doctor (the 6 or 8 weeks).

Your job may also be protected under FMLA during this time too. If you quality, in IL, you get 12 weeks of job protection each year. This is time off for bonding and starts when your disability does. This is unpaid time after your disability is over so typically companies require that you use any vacation time you have to supplement your income.

I've found, typically most women try to work as long as possible before the baby is born so they have more time off after the baby comes.

You should talk to your HR department too. Good luck.

It depends on how long you have for maternity leave. I only got 6 weeks, so I worked up until the end. My boss was very worried that I would go into labor at the office. It was fun messing with him towards the end! As it turned out I wotked all day Friday, went into labor on Saturday and had my daughter Sunday morning.

Like others have said, I would take it at the latest possible time.
With my first, I was on bed rest for 1 month, luckily he was 3 weeks early. I had 10 weeks off after. My job allowed 12 weeks, and I was allowed to add vacation time on to that. So I had a total of 14 weeks time off. They concidered the bed rest short term disablity, and 6 weeks was just a paid leave from them, then I had 2 weeks of paid vaca. so I only had 2 weeks without pay.
Like others say: Talk to your HR dept. All companies have different rules and handle circumstances differently.
With my second, I worked part time waitressing. I worked until the day I had him. (pretty much) I was off the day before I had him for a family reunion. I would have worked until I had him but I took that 1 day off.
None of my time off was paid with that job, but I was allowed 12 weeks off.
Lots of luck to you:) Enjoy your little one!

It all depends on your job. FMLA gives you 12 weeks, which starts when you take off. However, most jobs that provide maternity leave give you 6 weeks after birth or 8 weeks after a c-section. I would look into this with your job and find out what the rules are and how they pay-if they do. Some places do pay and others just let you take time unpaid. It also depends on what the doctor says.

There is no correct time to take maternity leave. I was due w/my first child 4/26/08 and she was born 4/8/08. I went to work (40 mins from my house) and was there for only 1/2 hour because I was starting to not feel good.

I don't really have much to add to everyone else's advice. I have to leave work at 30 weeks to go on bed rest. This is something my doctor and I discussed right away and I told my employer about as soon as I found out. I did just want to add one thing since I just found this out and was shocked - check with your insurance company - the disability one may not be the same as your medical insurance company. Check with them to see what they authorize. I just got a letter from them saying that they only authorize 6 weeks after birth regardless if it's natural or c-section! My company told me they give the 6/8 weeks many stated below. Obviously my company is more generous than the insurance company, but if I hadn't received a letter I might not have know about the gap and been stuck in a bad spot. At least now I know and can begin to make a plan. I'm not too worried, it's not like the insurance company can make me go back if my doctor say I'm not ready, but now I know the insurance company's policy and can talk to my doctor and employer about any concerns I have, rather than trying to fight to get back pay down the road.

Some employers may allow you to work til two weeks before your delivery date. However, I strongly suggest contacting your HR dept to inquire on the maternity leave policy. They can assist you with you all the paperwork should you decide to go on STD or FMLA.

A.

Not sure I understand the question. My apologies.

With my 1st... my last day worked was a Wednesday and I delivered her on the following Tuesday... because I was off for almost a week prior to her birth, I returned to work when she was 11 weeks old (that was the end of my 12 week leave).

With my second... my last day was a Tuesday and I had a c-section on Thursday. I returned to work 12 weeks after my last day worked.

I guess you start it when you need/want to. I wanted the few days to get last minute things done.

It depends on the company. Most offer 6-8 weeks. Companies with 15 or more employees have to offer 12 weeks under FMLA.
When you start is up to you. It's better to last for as long as you can so you have more time with your baby. I worked till 2 days before I had the baby. It's better for you too, since you're busy at work you dont' have time to sit around and be bored and think about when the baby will finally come out...

I would work all the way up until you have the baby (if possible), that way you have more time with him/her at home. But if you are finding it difficult at the end and really just can't work, then go ahead and take it. There's really no right or wrong time to take leave, it's just a matter of how soon you want to go back to work after the baby comes. I think the standard leave is 6-8 weeks, and trust me, it goes by FAST.

Usually the day you have your baby is the day your FMLA starts unless you have to be on bedrest prior, then it starts at that time.

Technically it starts the day you have your baby. But you can certainly take leave early if it is requested by your doctor, but then it is not really your "maternity leave". It also depends on your company's policy. I work for HR and our company's policy is that any time you are off that is requested by the doctor before the baby is born is considered as STD. you don't get pay for it but you are entitled the time off. However it counts as part of maximum 26 weeks of STD. Once the baby is born, the STD will give you 6 to 8 weeks 60% paid leave, depends on whether it's a nature birth or C-section, and then our company will give us extra 4 to 6 weeks so the official "maternity leave" will be a total 12 weeks.
Back to your question: if you are feeling ggod, take your leave as late as possible so you can spend more time with your new born. I worked on my due day because i felt totally fine and my daughter was born the day after. so i didn't waste any time at all. But again, it all depends on how you feel and your company's policy, so make sure you check with your HR dept.

E., when I went on Maternity leave which was over 10 years ago it was 6weeks off for a normal delivery and 8weeks off for a cscection. I don't know if it has changed or not.

Well since they were inducing me, I worked half day and then went home got my bag and went to the hospital same day...to have my son. This way I could spen my whole 3 months off with him...If you could work up to the end do it.