Can we do randoms/vents/AWs? (MONDAY edition)

[Deleted]

Sept 17, 2012 12:16:22 GMT -5 catbus said:

Baby's due this Saturday and I want Friday to be my last day, but there's no medically-indicated reason to start my leave before the birth. Decent chance he'll be late, too, given that I've never given birth before and my cervix is still very closed.
But I really don't think I can handle continuing to come to work after my due date. I get bugged enough now about when baby's coming, "still" being here, etc. by random coworkers and it's hard enough to continue to be pleasant in response. I know it will just be 10x worse if I'm here past my due date.

So I'm trying to figure out how to start leave even though I won't be covered by FMLA until the birth. HR says I'd need something in writing from my doctor. I wonder why I can't just take "vacation" until baby comes, then officially start FMLA.

In related news, fuck the U.S.'s crappy maternity leave policies.

Would they fire you if you did? I did this. And I used my leave to do it (not FMLA leave though - my old firm gave 18 weeks. 6 were disability/12 were "family." They let me use 2 weeks of "family" leave pre-baby and I came back at 16 weeks. I wouldn't go early if 12 is the max you can take, though. You'll want the time after.

[catbus]

Thanks, Brie and Biscoff! I'll ask my doctor for a note at my appointment next Monday to cover my ass in case it's needed, but in the meantime, I have a new plan of attack, detailed below...

Sept 17, 2012 20:23:57 GMT -5 BirdGirl said:

Would they fire you if you did? I did this. And I used my leave to do it (not FMLA leave though - my old firm gave 18 weeks. 6 were disability/12 were "family." They let me use 2 weeks of "family" leave pre-baby and I came back at 16 weeks. I wouldn't go early if 12 is the max you can take, though. You'll want the time after.

No, they wouldn't, and my boss is fine with this Friday being my last day. After talking to H about it this evening, I've decided that I'll take "vacation" starting next week, which will protect me until FMLA kicks in. I'll be out through the end of the year, which is actually 14 weeks total, but WA does have a separate "Family Leave Act" that tacks on an additional six weeks to FMLA, so I'm protected for 18 weeks total.
So yeah, I'm not even going to ask HR about doing my leave this way. I figure it's fine with my manager, and that's what matters in the end.

Thanks for your input!

[teflep]

Sept 17, 2012 11:01:31 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Sept 17, 2012 10:54:38 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

(2) Granted, I don't KNOW people on GBCN, but there are a couple girls who got divorced after me, or right around the time I did. They are engaged already. I don't know why this bothers me...mostly because I have taken my sweet ass time on deciding to re-marry again or not. But for me, it doesn't seem like the right time. And it is shocking that others already have a new ring on their finger.

Flameful maybe?

This is different, but for a while after having DD, I was always shocked by people IRL and on the bump who were pregnant with #2 while I was still undecided about whether I wanted to have a second one at all. For a while, I was struggling to just keep my shit together with 1 kid in the house. It was totally irrational, but I wanted to grab everyone who was having a second and scream "how in the hell did you decide you could manage it?"

been/still here

[starlily]

We put in an offer on a house.

In the words of Jessie Spano, "I'm so excited ... I'm so scared!"