Maternity Leave - Page 2

[MisaGoat]

I am pretty frustrated too.

I just switched jobs so I won't be covered by FMLA. I also found out that the HR policy is to "terminate" me once I am out for one week. So all my benefits will stop. HR suggested I try to stay at work at least one day of the month I am due so that my health insurance covers me. Well I am due November 30th. So I could have a baby in November or December. Basically I have to reapply for my job after I have the baby and hope that it all works out.

The only payment I'll receive is the Short Term Disability from the state which I've been paying into. I did find out if I can't get my job back I'll be eligible for unemployment after the STD runs out. So I am a little bit less stressed about everything working out exactly on the right time line.

For health insurance thankfully my husband is offered benefits through his job so I'll be covered even after I am let go. Although my insurance is better. His doesn't offer out of network coverage and has a higher co-pay/deductible. If I deliver while still on my insurance plan it should be about $25 for the birth. I'll have to figure out what it will be on his plan, but I know it will be significantly higher.

Very frustrating. I don't know if it makes you feel any better that it isn't just your employer who has a crappy maternity leave policy or not. The cobbling together of STD, sick time, vacation time and personal days is pretty standard. Many people aren't covered by FMLA, which I imagine is even worse when something unexpected happens. At least maternity leave can be planned and you can prepare by setting aside money to cover expenses.

[lrgs]

Wow ladies..........I knew about the US's terrible mat leave but I'm still so shocked by it. I can't imagine how hard it would be to go back so soon after baby being born. I honestly don't think I could do it........I think I'd end up quitting but then we'd be in a tight spot financially. I'm from Canada and I work for the goverment so I get a year off and I'm paid full salary for the entire year. I know I'm incredibly lucky though.

[34me]

With my first I was put on bedrest 6 weeks before my due date. Because we were going through a major reorganization our HR person was actually a social worker and knew nothing about our STD policy and neither did I. I was the sole support of our family and as dh was a student we qualified for no social service programs. I went bact to work at 2 weeks because we needed to eat. Same company with ds#1 but I got 6 weeks of STD plus 2 weeks of vacation. With ds#2 I had a brand new job and got 6 weeks of STD....... Yeah it sucks

[fyrwmn]

we don't get any std, just the standard fmla here. to get any pay, i have to use up my sick and vacation time. the thing that stinks about that, is that it takes 2 years of not using ANY sick or vacation time to accrue enough to cover the 12 weeks. with my dd, i had the option of taking 40 hour paychecks instead of 48. the selectmen changed that, so i have to use 48 hours a week. with dd, i went back when she was 1 week old and worked thru th eholiday season, with her with me and made my own hours. the town allowed me to take over the christmas program for families that are in need of help, but i could count the time i put in like regular time worked and stretch out my paid time. (my usual job is an emt on the fire dept). the selectment also put an end to that, so all my time from sept - dec for the program is now time donated to the town. ordinarily i don't mind. the town doesn't really have any say over the program since it's something they want to happen, but they're not willing to put out any time or $ to assist. it's been a good thing for my kids because they get to help with the shopping and dd (ds is too young) understands that not every family is fortunate enough to have extra $ for presents, clothing, etc. i'm frustrated this year though because baby is due nov 13. from experience with having dd nov 11th, i know how crazy the season is going to be with a newborn in tow. at least i've mastered the art of babywearing now, and am soooo much more comfortable with nursing anywhere and everywhere! i'll probably take a week off when baby is born, and then go in till christmas to get this done, and then camp out at home with the kiddos for the rest of the time.

[ASusan]

Get yourself on the university committee that works on these things.

At our college, tenured and tenure track faculty get a 2-course release, which can be one semester. (We have a 2-3 load.) Visiting faculty? Nada. I got 6 weeks, during which time I had to arrange for my courses to be covered via guest lectures, films, and online discussions (hosted by me). DH took the next semester off and brought DS to the office to nurse (and sleep in my arms) while he worked in his lab.

[hollytheteacher]

Yeah we don't get any where I work either. When DS was born I got two extra weeks of pay because i wouldn't be using any vacation days that calendar year. I took 6 months off and my job held my position ( I had a long-term sub) but we lived on one income.

It totally stinks, but at the same time i kind of get it. I mean, I can kind of see how if we did have paid maternity leave it might encourage some people to keep poppin' out more babies

I still wish we had it though

[Breathless Wonder]

It could be worse- in many places, teen moms are expected to be back in the classroom at 2 weeks- or sometimes less.

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by hollytheteacher

It totally stinks, but at the same time i kind of get it. I mean, I can kind of see how if we did have paid maternity leave it might encourage some people to keep poppin' out more babies

Or, you know, it might show that women are actually valued for something other than their uteri...

[pumpkin]

Your employer is actually being pretty generous for the US. In many states they are not required to offer short-term disability coverage at all. So you would be eligible for 12 weeks of FMLA, all of it unpaid.

[Jules09]

I'm an Australian living in the US, and the thought of being forcedto go back to work so quickly here makes me really angry too! I've just graduated and plan to delay getting a job for about a year (I'm fortunate we can afford to so this). It just seems so soon to be going back to work after a few months (or less) when the norm in Australia is to take a year off.

[secondimpression]

It gets even worse when you and the father work for the same employer like DP and I. We're expected to SHARE the 12 weeks of FMLA. I get 6 weeks of STD then we're on our own financially. We're in a labor union where seniority is everything so our contract caters towards what the retirees want, young families don't get a say in anything because we have too little seniority for our voices to be heard.

What really made DP and I flip our lids (besides having to share FMLA) was when we found out that our non-union counterparts (translation: people with degrees) get anywhere from 1-6 months of fully paid maternity leave BEFORE they can even elect to take FMLA or disability and then have the option to come back on a part time schedule at their full salary for an indefinite length of time.

[LilBlossom]

The US has it's ups and downs. Yes, maternity leave is horrible (non-existent?) compared to other developed counties. My first son was born in Norway, and I got 10 months worth of maternity leave at 100% of my salary. We moved to the US 3 months after he was born and used that money to pay off my husbands student loan, as well as manage a downpayment on a house. And now I am a full time stay at home mum with my boy. And THAT is something we could NEVER afford in Norway. Cost of living there is just waaaay too high to have one parent at home. My husband makes a bad wage atm, and living just outside Chicago, we have a fairly high cost of living, but we still make it by each month.

Yes, we don't live in a big fancy McMansion and we can't afford fancy stuff, but that's ok.

(Though I am looking for a weekend job to add some money to our monthly budget)

[rhiOrion]

Haven't read all of the replies, just skimmed. But my university does give 3 weeks of paid maternity leave (which runs concurrent to FMLA...so you still only get 12 weeks off, but at least some of it is paid).

However, you have to be there a year to get it.

Now, with FMLA time spent as a temp employee counts. So I was hired as a temp in December of 08 and hired permanent on April 27th of 09.

So I qualified for FMLA in December of 09, but didn't qualify for the paid maternity leave until April 27th, 2010.

I had my baby April 8th, 2010. Three weeks. I missed paid maternity leave by three lousy weeks.

But I do accrue vacation and sick days while I'm on FMLA leave, so I used up what I had and got an initial pay check, and then every two weeks a get a small pay check of whatever vacay and sick I have accrued. Plus the STD insurance.

So it hasn't been my normal amount of pay, but at least it has been something.

The frustrating thing is that I'm going to go back to work with ZERO sick or vacation time. Something about zero PTO and an infant just doesn't seem to go together.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by LilBlossom

And now I am a full time stay at home mum with my boy. And THAT is something we could NEVER afford in Norway. Cost of living there is just waaaay too high to have one parent at home.

I was wondering about the cost of living issue.. thanks for sharing your experience.

[lilmiss'mama]

Originally Posted by hollytheteacher

It totally stinks, but at the same time i kind of get it. I mean, I can kind of see how if we did have paid maternity leave it might encourage some people to keep poppin' out more babies

I still wish we had it though

I seriously doubt it.

[neonalee]

I'm one of the "lucky" ones and this topic just makes my blood boil. I get 8 weeks pd. My boss was surprised that I wasn't planning to take STD the last week or so before labor though. I said, how am I supposed to get by on 60% of my salary??? Paying for childcare when I have to go back will be bad enough! I've been trying to save up some vaca too so I can stay home a little longer than the 8 weeks, but as a PP said ... then what do I do for sick time the rest of the year?

Last year I was considering finding a new job (before pregnancy). I've always wanted to work for a university. Until I discovered that all of them do not have a maternity policy, other than possible STD which is either low paid or unpaid. Um, no thanks, I'll stick with my crabby job with good benefits. Giving birth is definitely undervalued, and as angry as I am over going back after 8 weeks, I really feel for those of you who don't even have that! I'm going to check out momsrising for sure. We may have come a long way, but not nearly far enough.

[CherryBomb]

Originally Posted by LilBlossom

And now I am a full time stay at home mum with my boy. And THAT is something we could NEVER afford in Norway. Cost of living there is just waaaay too high to have one parent at home.

Interesting, I was just talking to a mom from Finland a couple weeks ago and she was talking about how irritated she gets when Americans tell her how lucky she is. She was like yeah, I get paid maternity leave, but once it's up I have no choice but to go back to work because the cost of living is so high. She said stay at home parents are virtually non existent because no one can afford it.

That said, you'd think there'd be some kind of standard of 6 weeks or whatever at least for recovery.

[FireWithin]

I thought NJ has partial salary pay??

Not MA, and certainly not the university DH works at.

[shishkeberry]

I was fortunate (or unfortunate, depends on how you look at it) enough to get laid off two weeks before I found out I was pregnant. So I've kind of been on partially paid leave since November. I don't know when I'll get my job back, but I've been able to claim unemployment the whole time. I lost my insurance but I still have some sort of income while I SAH with my DS and grow this LO.

TBH, I don't even know what my company's stance on maternity leave is/was because I never had a reason to look it up.

[MommaMoo]

Originally Posted by hollytheteacher

It totally stinks, but at the same time i kind of get it. I mean, I can kind of see how if we did have paid maternity leave it might encourage some people to keep poppin' out more babies

I don't think that's true at all. Aren't several countries across Europe dealing with a very low birthrate? If the US had a humane way of treating new mothers I know that it would have no effect on how many kids I have.