s/o Maternity Leave

[Deleted]

How much time are you planning on taking off btwn the birth of your baby and you returning to work?

(sorry Canadian moms, this post is NOT for you   )

[narockshard]

I plan on the full 12 weeks, then only going back to work part time, but if my work won't let me be part time then I will stay at home. I already know there is no way I can balance a baby, a home, and full time work.

[Deleted]

I get 3 months, assuming I don't take leave before the baby comes. I will probably WFH a bit during the 3rd month though.

[hbear]

I took 3 months last time and that felt perfect, plan to do the same this time.

[smock]

Fall semester starts up 12 weeks after my due date, but I'll be teaching a reduced course load (plus research work from home). I won't have to be teaching full time until 7 months after my due date.

[dana2006]

I get 12 weeks (sick leave). After that I may take an additional 4 weeks (vacation time), depending on how things go. I could also telework whenever as needed.

[catsarecute]

12 weeks. Still trying to decide about when I'm taking my last day but it will be 12 weeks....maybe 13.

[daisycat]

I don't get any maternity leave or pto as I currently work pt in a very small office. Because we need my salary, I will probably take 2 weeks completely off, then 2-3 weeks of hopefully working from home and then back to work on my regular schedule of 2-10hour days.  

[VillainV]

I get 6 weeks at 100% pay, so that's how much time I'm taking.

[Yankees21]

I'm planning to take 12 weeks. I work in a very small office so don't qualify for FMLA, but my boss is fine with me taking that much time. When I go back, it will be 30 hours a week- 3.5 days.

Eta: None of it is paid, but I will get some STD.

[pinotgrig]

Asking for 12 weeks and possibly being open to going back at the 10 week or so mark, depending on how I'm feeling. I may also work a modified schedule of sorts as I start back, such as a week of working half days in the morning to get out morning schedule down and a week of working half days in the afternoon to get our evening schedule down.

[simpsongal]

12 weeks, and then I might do a couple weeks part time to ease back in. It's just as well, it's hard to hit the ground running when you return.

[mellimel19]

I'm taking 12 weeks, but practically all of it is vacation days and days that I've accrued in our long term illness bank.

[jene]

12 weeks. Depending on how I deliver, either 5 or 3 of that will be unpaid.

[robinsbff]

we can take up to 12 weeks with FMLA. i will take that but being a teacher and due in the summer the 12 weeks starts at the beginning of the school year when my contract starts. all told i will be home from the end of june until about thanksgiving, combining my 12 weeks with summer break so about 5 months, but 1 month is before my due date.

[blushing]

You excluded Canadian moms, but not UK ones

I get 39 weeks paid maternity so that is what I will be taking. I could take a full year, but I need an income so I am only taking the paid portion. I might extend with my 6 weeks of annual leave or keep that for later in the year. I am undecided.

[hokiegirl82]

I plan on taking 11-12 weeks - the first 2 will use any PTO I have accrued, then I'll be paid 100% for either the next 6 or 8 weeks depending on how I give birth, then I'll finish out the rest of the 11-12 weeks unpaid.

[starlily]

6 months. There might be a week or two unpaid, but the rest will be at 50-55% of salary.

[Deleted]

Jan 20, 2014 12:46:50 GMT -5 blushing said:

You excluded Canadian moms, but not UK ones

Damn it.  I forgot about you all!  You get extra brownie points for spotting the loophole in my post!

[blushing]

Jan 20, 2014 13:03:04 GMT -5 vigurl said:

Jan 20, 2014 12:46:50 GMT -5 blushing said:

You excluded Canadian moms, but not UK ones

Damn it.  I forgot about you all!  You get extra brownie points for spotting the loophole in my post!

I think there are only 2 of us so we are a minority.

[Deleted]

Jan 20, 2014 13:00:55 GMT -5 starlily said:

6 months. There might be a week or two unpaid, but the rest will be at 50-55% of salary.

I am planning on asking for 6 months too.  Hold me, i'm scared!!!!  I get 12 wks FMLA and 1 month vacay.  But that only covers me for 4 months.  I need their grace for 2 more months!

[starlily]

Jan 20, 2014 13:04:56 GMT -5 vigurl said:

Jan 20, 2014 13:00:55 GMT -5 starlily said:

6 months. There might be a week or two unpaid, but the rest will be at 50-55% of salary.

I am planning on asking for 6 months too.  Hold me, i'm scared!!!!  I get 12 wks FMLA and 1 month vacay.  But that only covers me for 4 months.  I need their grace for 2 more months!

See if you can split your vacation time with unpaid leave to extend that one month. My office will continue to pay insurance premiums and make retirement contributions as long as you work 41 hours per pay period out of the full 80. This is what I did last time to get a full 6 months. I used 41 hours of vacation per pay period and 39 unpaid.

[Deleted]

Jan 20, 2014 13:14:48 GMT -5 starlily said:

Jan 20, 2014 13:04:56 GMT -5 vigurl said:

I am planning on asking for 6 months too.  Hold me, i'm scared!!!!  I get 12 wks FMLA and 1 month vacay.  But that only covers me for 4 months.  I need their grace for 2 more months!

See if you can split your vacation time with unpaid leave to extend that one month. My office will continue to pay insurance premiums and make retirement contributions as long as you work 41 hours per pay period out of the full 80. This is what I did last time to get a full 6 months. I used 41 hours of vacation per pay period and 39 unpaid.

Wow thank you so much for this advice!!!!!

[Deleted]

12 weeks. 6 weeks will be covered by STD, I'll have a week or two in banked leave and then the rest unpaid.

[loira]

vigurl, blushing, does the loophole extend to me? I am both Canadian and living in the UK.

I haven't really decided yet. I know I get a certain number of weeks at almost 100% pay, but then it drops to crappy UK statutory maternity pay which is practically nothing, though hopefully H will be finished his PhD and have a job by then. I'm saving up a bunch of my holidays to add on to it, too, so I will probably take between 4-6 months.

[blushing]

Jan 20, 2014 14:43:29 GMT -5 loira said:

vigurl, blushing, does the loophole extend to me? I am both Canadian and living in the UK.

I haven't really decided yet. I know I get a certain number of weeks at almost 100% pay, but then it drops to crappy UK statutory maternity pay which is practically nothing, though hopefully H will be finished his PhD and have a job by then. I'm saving up a bunch of my holidays to add on to it, too, so I will probably take between 4-6 months.

Have you had a look at childcare costs yet? I stopped working because it was not worth the little bit of money I had left after childcare (but I never had a career, I had a job). Now my salary is not that much more than the stat maternity rate, and with the child benefit money it kind of evens out. But, I only work 2 nights a week from home. And DH is the main earner.

[loira]

Jan 20, 2014 14:51:26 GMT -5 blushing said:

Jan 20, 2014 14:43:29 GMT -5 loira said:

vigurl, blushing, does the loophole extend to me? I am both Canadian and living in the UK.

I haven't really decided yet. I know I get a certain number of weeks at almost 100% pay, but then it drops to crappy UK statutory maternity pay which is practically nothing, though hopefully H will be finished his PhD and have a job by then. I'm saving up a bunch of my holidays to add on to it, too, so I will probably take between 4-6 months.

Have you had a look at childcare costs yet? I stopped working because it was not worth the little bit of money I had left after childcare (but I never had a career, I had a job). Now my salary is not that much more than the stat maternity rate, and with the child benefit money it kind of evens out. But, I only work 2 nights a week from home. And DH is the main earner.

I haven't really looked into it too much, but from what I can tell it's quite expensive. I am the main earner though, so if he doesn't get a job H will be a stay at home dad until he finds one, which in academia can take awhile. If he does have a job, I'll still go back to work since I love what I do and I suspect I will always bring in the larger income. 

[chickadee77]

I get six months unpaid before baby turns one. I plan to take 3-4 immediately after, then possibly return part-time for a bit to ease back into full-time. I haven't hammered out the details with my boss yet, but this is my *tentative* plan.

[FastHands]

I am FMLA eligible, so 12 weeks guaranteed, and my job provides 6 weeks STD for childbirth without complications at 100% pay. I haven't exactly decided what I will do yet beyond the 6 weeks paid. I have 9 weeks of PTO banked (benefit of infertility? I've been savin this shit up for a while. heh), but I don't want to burn it all. I'm toying with staying out the rest of the year (total of 16 weeks), and just do 10 weeks at half-pay so that I can roll over 4 weeks of PTO for next year for sick days etc. That would also give us a couple of months with me at half-salary, which would help us see how feasible it would be for me to switch to part-time after I come back.

[shaynaatl]

Taking 12 weeks. 6 will be covered by STD (8 if a c-section).