Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Making Baby A, Week 17: Maternity Leave

Perhaps one of the things I look forward to the MOST about being pregnant is the time off I will get once I deliver in March!

This week, I have been thinking about maternity leave - finding more about the company policy and asking experienced co-workers and friends on how long they took off.

While my firm is consistently listed as one of the best companies for working mothers by several magazines, I am surprised they only give two weeks of maternity leave! Since there is no way I will be ready to go back to work after two short weeks, I will be supplementing it with short-term disability, my personal vacation days, and maybe leave-without-pay.

By my rough calculation, I should have 12 weeks of paid leave and, if I choose, another 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Not too shabby.

So what happens after 12 or 24 weeks?

I don't know yet. I haven't looked into daycare (so expensive!) or any other options. Right now, if we still live nearby, I am counting on my dad since he happens to be retiring next March! I think the stars are perfectly aligned on this one. :)

On another note, I am currently 17w6d and fully outfitted in maternity clothes. The pants are a bit loose, but it's much better than trying to squeeze into my regular ones. It's not quite showing underneath all these clothes, but I am sporting a little bump.

posted by sugarlens

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5 your words:

  1. Two weeks?! Wow. I thought what we offered was standard: two months and an extra month for C-sections. I'd probably want a year-long break to recuperate after pushing out a child.
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  2. Wow..2 weeks is crazy! We get 4 months maternity leave here and mothers are still finding it too short!
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  3. I hope you don't have to rush back to work - our world changed greatly when children were left at day-schools.

    I'm glad my mother stayed home - she took college classes during the time (and ended up with 3 master's degrees!)
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  4. Geez, looks like I may have to actually start working hard now since we'll be short on income next year. Maybe I can get a pt gig at the grocery store or something, that would help with expenses. Oooh, better yet, I could find a gig at Walmart. That'll give us cheap baby supplies and I could save a few bucks to keep my gaming habit going. sigh...wish the little baby would develop motor skills quickly, that way we can put the little thing to work right away!
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  5. Hey! You just won this week's giveaway :)
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