Maternity leave

Which country do you live in? It's different everywhere

@Kai I live in the United States

Okay, so mat leave is very different in the states compared to many other places. You need to check with your specific state if there's paid or unpaid leave and how long. You also need to check with your company what they have, paid or unpaid, and for how long. I'm in Canada, so for us, it's very different. There's a standard leave with specific rules that's paid for us across the country, so I had to fill in paperwork for that. In your case, you'll need to find out about what the rules are for leave in your state and at your company, and how much you get, if it's paid or not, etc. If there is a state paid leave, you'll likely have to apply and fill out paperwork (hopefully all digital like mine was).

As for when to take leave, that will depend on how much you get an dhow you want to use it. For example, I wanted to spend my mat leave with the baby, not before. Where I am, I could have started my leave up to 15 weeks before my due date. I chose to start on my due date (which changed when he became a planned c-section) and, with my work, had planned to take 1 week of vacation before the baby was due. We get 12 or 18 months paid leave from the government, but only get part of our pay while on leave (55% for 12 months or 35% for 18 months). I got lucky, my work topped up the pay I got from the government, and I got 93% of my regular pay for 26 weeks, but not all workplaces do that, nor do they have to. With you being in the states I recommend speaking with someone you know who's had a baby recently and doing a lot of research because the USA is the only developed country without a national paid maternity leave. Since it's state by state you'll have to find what your state offers and what your job offers.

These seem like some good starting info https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/united-states-maternity-leave-facts https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/maternity-leave-laws-by-state/ https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/benefits-leave/fmla https://www.thecut.com/article/maternity-leave-usa.html

@Kai thank you. This is super helpful

Glad to have helped!

My job offered 4 weeks pre and 10 weeks post... so I started at 36w, she came at 39w, and I got 10w with her before returning to work

Your process for maternity leave is going to depend on the state you live in and your company. You should speak with your HR. The US does not require any paid leave so if you get paid or have to use PTO will again vary by state and company. I personally live in CO and the state pays at least 60% of your base pay for 12 weeks. I left work at 41+2 and got induced at 41+4.