Maternity Leave (length) poll - Page 2

[JudiAU]

4 months Then 6 months mostly unpaid.

I would gladly take a year unpaid if I could keep my job.

[bluebunny]

1st baby -- 10 weeks
2nd baby -- 6 weeks
3rd baby -- 6 weeks

************
I was working FT when my first was born. I could have taken 12 weeks but I decided to go back at 10 so I could work half days on some days the first two weeks back.

With my next two, I was working part-time. Because as an independent contractor, I wasn't entitled to any leave at all, I was happy my boss gave me 6 weeks.

Factors: money, job situation

[paxye]

I never returned to work after my 1st was born... but I can answer for my DH... the first two he only got 2-3 weeks...

The last two, he had, and took, 7 months of Parental leave.

[Dmitrizmom]

planned 2 weeks (1 paid), took 6 weeks (due to complications), forced to quit my first day back (can't say much nice about what happened).

Most friends took 6 weeks, some took 12. very few were paid for the entire leave.

I returned at 6 weeks due to finances (that quickly got worse with the forced quit and dh not working). Needed more time. wasn't back to my normal until 12 weeks.

[~pi]

Originally Posted by RaeDyCo

I know that we are very lucky in Canada to get the year and some money so please don't think I am ungrateful by any stretch. However, depending on a person's circumstances, it isn't always possible for some mums to afford a full year on our mat leave. I make the maximum EI payment based on my working salary but it is $802 every two weeks so approx $1604 / month. While it is better than nothing, it can be tough for some families to get by on that.

For me, it is a huge reduction in salary because EI is capped at 55% of salary up to a max of $40,000 / year (I think these are the amounts). If you make more than $40,000, too bad. I am making less than 1/4 of my working salary. Some companies will also "top up" the EI to your salary for a time (my work does it for 3 months). Now, I am very happy to be getting something and so happy I can be home for the year with my little guys but it does make things a lot tighter for that time. I am reliant on DH to pay for a lot more because, let's face, most of us live up to our salaries and get used to a certain standard of living.

Anyhow, I still think it sucks the US mat leave policy is so terrible but ours isn't 100% perfect either.

Also, not everyone is eligible. Self-employed parents just got some sort of opt-in option, but students, for example, are still left out. (I had DS while in grad school. I was making decent money via fellowships. I had protected time off and took 6 months, but I didn't get a cent during that time. Fortunately we had been able to save hard for it. DH took the other half, and he got EI.)

I would still take that again over the US option, though.

[MoonJelly]

(For the US) If your employer has 50 or more people and you have been there for a year before your leave will begin, then 12 weeks is the federal law. As in, you can't be fired if you return in 12 weeks.

Pay is a whole different story and based on your company's polices.

DD1 - I did not return to the job I was in before her birth and stayed home for 18 months.
DD2 - I was able to take 12 and I was planning on it but I ran out of money and went back 2 weeks early part time. No maternity pay for me though my company has since changed that and does pay some.

Most people I know take at least 8-12 weeks.

[nextcommercial]

I took five days.

I am/was self employed, so I couldn't afford longer than that. She was born on a Thursday, and I was back at work on Monday.

[justKate]

In a hurry because I am at work right now.

I planned to take 8-12 weeks. I ended up taking 13 weeks because I had a c-section and my DD had a 3 week NICU stay. FWIW it was totally a surprise--bad SH!$ can happen to anyone.

[/downer]

ETA: I think they would have held my job for me for longer, but I felt guilty about taking off more time than this. Assuming you're in the US, you know what i mean.

[Teenytoona]

I planned 10 weeks, but went back 5 weeks post partum (6 weeks total). I had some disability insurance, but it only covered a few weeks of that and I needed to go back in part for financial reasons. The other reasons were that I needed the structure of work and such because life with a newborn was killing me. I ain't so good at the mothering thing, thank god DH is.

I have no idea how much leave most people take. I know alot of folks who just decide to stay home.

[Mosaic]

We get 3 weeks paid, but I was working from home by week 2 for both babies.

[mclisa]

Do you think you can let us know your survey results? I'm curious as to what you will find.

[fireHC11]

I took your survey, but my results will skew your estimate. I am a full-time graduate student and took no leave (though I was allowed 6 weeks by graduate student union contract). Special circumstances were created to help me maintain my TA position and continue attending classes. I will be happy to talk more about this by PM. :-)

[burg]

Originally Posted by mclisa

Do you think you can let us know your survey results? I'm curious as to what you will find.

1. How much time off did you (or do you plan to) take for maternity leave?

6 weeks or less- 19.2%
7-8 weeks-9.1%
9-10 weeks- 5.1%
11-12 weeks- 29.3%
more than 12 weeks- 37.4%

2. In your experience, (going by friends and coworkers leave) what is the typical length of maternity leave?

6 weeks or less- 16.2%
7-8 weeks- 14.1%
9-10 weeks- 5.1%
11-12 weeks- 46.5%
more than 12 weeks- 22.2%

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

[akind1]

I did the survey monkey but also wanted to elaborate. I have short term disability through work, the first week of which is unpaid (unless you have that much accrued PTO, which I did not) then you get 5 weeks paid for Mat. leave unless you have medical complications that would extend your disability. Thankfully, my 6 weeks were up exactly at new years, so I had brand new PTO to use, and took an additional paid week. I was out of work a total of 7 weeks. I could have taken up to 12, but with an unemployed DH, that wasn't going to happen.

Since I have returned to work, I work full time hours, but get to work 3 days a week from home, and 2 in the office. DH is now a SAHD who does some freelancing/direct marketing stuff on the side.

IME, most women take 6 weeks, some as much as 8. very few can afford to take the full 12 FMLA offers, as it is unpaid (unless you are in California or another state that offers paid FMLA). A few women have reduced to part time hours or stopped working all together, but very few in this economy can afford to do that.

For the next baby, I would love to be able to stay at home 8 weeks. But so long as I can maintain my current work situation (part at home, part office) I am really ok if I need to return sooner. (Or if we win the lottery or something, I wouldn't work period! LOL)