Work and Leave

[emilie]

I just realized that it's only a few more months until I get to go on maternity leave! What are you guys doing for your leave? Do you work out of the home? If so, how much leave are you taking? How are you making it work? Is your SO taking leave too?

[Deleted]

I'm planning on taking the entire spring semester off. Between paid leave and state disability I think at most I'll have one unpaid month but we've got enough saved away to cover it. Fingers crossed no policies have changed since I last talked to HR.

[Becca]

I get 8 weeks full pay for a natural birth and 12 weeks full pay for a c-section, but I need to use my accumulated sick days towards this. DH gets no paternity leave, but will use a few vacation days at first. I am planning on working until I'm either told not to, or the twins arrive. My school has a winter vacation in mid February so I am planning on going back then. We had been saving about 25% of my salary over the past year to go toward adoption I'm case IF treatments didn't work out, so we will be using that money to cover the weeks I'm out without pay. 
 

[lbonga1]

I'm in California, so I can take up to 4 weeks before my due date and up to I think 14 weeks after for pregnancy disability leave and paid family bonding. I'll be paid 55% of my current pay. I can do a bit of work from home as an independent contractor for a different company that I do work for sometimes. I'm a software programmer, so it's not at all strenuous. FI normally stays home with the kiddos, but he's going to be driving for Uber to make up some of the difference.

[sheepish]

I only work part time, so I don't get any paid leave. At this point I'm planning to take off all of the spring semester and possibly the summer as well, and then deciding come the new school year if I want to go back to my part time schedule or stay home.

[mommytoava]

I'm trying to save as much of my leave as possible. I figure as of now I have enough to get me to the end of January without having to take any unpaid days. I can ask for donated leave which I plan on doing because I'd like to stay off through February.

[WineNChocolate]

Taking my 3 month FMLA. Might take 4th month lwop. Not being paid but we have saved up enough to get by for those months.

[littlelion]

I get 8 wks paid leave at 100%.  The 8 wks is because of the csection.  100% was a nice surprise.  DH gets no paternity leave but will hopefully take a few days off. 

I plan on taking another 4 wks FMLA, not paid.  We'll see how we get by. 

[littlelion]

@kc295905, We haven't talked about what we're doing with DS at all. But I'm hoping the day of my csection one of my sisters can watch DS for the day/night.  The first month DS will def got to DC as usual.  2nd month maybe 3x/wk to save money. And then the 3rd month, he'll stay home with me.  

[requiressnacks]

I actually have a plan on this one!

I am taking 16 weeks off. My company provides 12 weeks paid at 100%, and then I'll take the remaining 4 weeks unpaid through FMLA. I think 16 weeks is the maximum you can take in the state of Connecticut. I am hoping I don't have to go out on disability early, because that eats into my 16 weeks.

My husband is taking 3 weeks off when the babies are born. He doesn't get any paid leave, but he's saved up some vacation/PTO so that will be paid. He's also going to take some FMLA (unpaid) around Christmas - just because - babies first Christmas.

I'm kind of in denial about how we'll get by with a couple stretches of unpaid time....

[fikafairy67]

I plan on taking the full 12 weeks allowed by FMLA, and it was approved as an intermittent leave by my HR due to the uncertainty of what may or may not need to happen re: transfusions.

My company has a really good sick policy (accrued time doubles if you don't use more than 3 days/year) so I have about 8 weeks of paid sick time saved up, then I get an additional 24 days vacation time per year, but that includes 10 paid holidays per year (to account for when they are on weekdays). I am part of a huge mental health organization, and many of the residential centers are open 24/7, hence that holiday policy.

I will likely only be out for no more than a month unpaid, and I will get a decent chunk paid through a side teaching job I have in December that we will save. Plus with DH's new job, we are saving a big chunk of that away anyway.

Since DH is literally starting a new job today, and it's currently a contract, any time he takes will be unpaid. He has already spoken to them about his need to take about a week off around the birth, whenever that happens. Since I will be a scheduled RCS, that should be fairly simple to handle once it's scheduled.

Unless of course things go crazy and this baby needs transfusions. Then all of the above changes, haha.

[kaydee0402]

I get 8 weeks paid for a c-section, then I'll take the remaining 4 of FMLA. However, at this time, daycare does not have a spot for the new baby until April, so they will either have to let me work part time from home, or just deal with me being out until April.

And of course, all of this hangs on whether or not I decided to continue to work after having our second.

DH gets 20 days of paternity leave and two weeks off for the holidays. He will basically be home for a month after the baby is born.

[hmr11913]

In WI we get 12 weeks FMLA --- my company pays 6 weeks at 60% (or you can buy extra STD which goes up to 80% which is what I've always done) and then the next 6 weeks are unpaid. (You can use PTO if you want...) So for G I took the 6 weeks at 80% then took 6 weeks unpaid.

I also sell Real Estate for my mom, so I was doing that while on maternity leave with her and I plan to do that again this time around.... also planning on not returning back to work full time and just doing Real Estate. So far I've made almost as much as my full time salary as I have doing RE part time, plus it will allow me more time with the babies.

DH doesn't get any paternity leave, but he will have a week of vacation that he can use. Both of our parents live only a few miles from us, so I imagine that he'll go back to work after a few days off and if I need help my mom can come over.

[brit365]

I get 6 weeks paid at 100% so I will only be taking 6 weeks off. I could take up to 12 weeks for FMLA, but I would have to use up all of my vacation time first and I don't want to do that at the beginning of the year because we are planning on taking vacations over the summer and the fall. DH gets no paternity leave, but as of right now he has a week of vacation time he's planning to hang on to for when we have the baby. My mom is going to take two weeks off after I go back to work to at least prolong putting him in daycare quite so soon. He'll still be going at 8 weeks which makes me nervous, but my sister is the daycare director so at least I know I can check in on him an annoying amount.

[lola]

I get 6-8 weeks paid at 100 percent, depending on how I deliver (60% STD and my company pays the balance, which is nice). After that, my boss said I can take as much time as I want, unpaid. I plan to go back in April while my mom watches the babe for a few weeks to help with the transition. Then she'll head to daycare mid-April. Thankfully I don't have to use vacation or sick time, as our company had a no-limit vacation policy. Also, our department head is French, with two toddlers, so she assumed I'll take six months or so. I don't feel pressure about the time, but of course I do about the money.

I also plan to work up until delivery, but may transition to working from home depending on how I feel.

[tbonequeen13]

What are you guys doing for your leave? I work a sit-down office job, so I will work until I have the baby unless it becomes medically necessary for me to stop earlier (I worked the day before DD1 was born)

Do you work out of the home? Thankfully no, so when I'm home they can't bother me, hahaha

How much leave are you taking? FMLA gives me 12 weeks unpaid but I can't afford to not be paid. Between PTO and paid holidays, I should have about enough for 8 weeks off (that's how long I was off for DD1 and we did good with that)

Is your SO taking leave too? Some- he won't have more than 3 or 4 days built up, he can borrow up to 2 weeks PTO with supervisor approval and he's able to work from home some with supervisor approval so he'll have to work with his boss and see what they'll let him do...

DD1 is 3 so I'm not sure how things are going to go as far as her. She'll be in Mother's Day Out twice a week, but they take a break towards the end of Dec until some time in Jan so depending on the timing she may not have school at first. My sister, who watches DD1 and will watch DD2 has said she can watch DD1 whenever I need, but she can't drive so I'd have to take DD1 to her or have my mom come get her. I can also call my Mom to have her and/or my sister come over to help me at my house if I want (but that won't work if I want to nap when DD2 naps). It will really all depend on how things go- vaginal vs csection, whether DD2 is a good sleeper or a fussy baby, how DD1 handles being a sister, etc....so we really won't know until we get there.

[lastnamewithheld]

Work gives me jack shit. I've been paying for short-term disability for the last 8 years of employment, so I'm kinda excited that I can finally use that. I'm taking my full 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA. What I'm really hoping for is to use my 12 weeks leave in the new year and use my 2 weeks of unused vacation time for the remainder of this year (assuming LO comes on his DD, which... LOL, right?)

I still need to hash this out with my supervisor/HR/whatever. I'm thinking once I hit 3rd tri I'll get the ball rolling.

[ImAPepper]

Im going to take as much time as I can get! I think I have enough leave saved up to take 14 weeks

[sdgal]

My work gives me 3 weeks before due date, 6 or 8 weeks post depending on vaginal vs. C-section. Then 1 extra week of "Caregiver leave". Then I have about 30 vacation days in the bank, so another 6 weeks of paid. So if I'm understanding it correct, I will have 16 or 18 weeks of full pay.
Then, I'm also in California and qualify for CA Paid Family Leave, so I get another 6 weeks at 55% pay.
My work also does up to 6 months of unpaid parental leave (starts after the maternity leave), so I could stay home until August with job protection, but unpaid.

DH only qualifies for unpaid FMLA, so he will have to take a few vacation days and he going to ask for a temporary work from home schedule. It really sucks that his work doesn't pay into the state's disability insurance, so he doesn't qualify for the CA Paid Family Leave.

[lola]

My husband works from home, when he's not traveling (which is often). He also doesn't have a vacation policy, so I think he'll cut back on travel at first, and be able to check in/help while working.

[babycowbell]

Interesting to see all the variety!

I'll take about 14 weeks I think. I get 60% of my salary for five weeks, so I count that as three weeks paid. Then I'll have about two weeks of vacation time I can use but I'll need to spread it out over my 14 weeks of leave in order to cover all my employee portions of health insurance and what not that are deducted from my paycheck. I'm guessing by the time I spread it out that long and they take all the deductions it will feel like I didn't get paid at all.

My husband wins, he gets six weeks fully paid PLUS his five weeks of vacation. I think he will stay home with me through the holidays probably, then use some more when I go back to work before the day care is available. I kind of want him to have a few weeks of taking care of her all alone. It will be good for everyone.

[emilie]

It's really interesting to see what everyone's situation is! And so jealous of you in Canada crimpgirl

I am taking from December 1 through May 1 off at work. My company is small (so no FMLA) and offers no paid leave so I basically just had to negotiate everything. However, I am lucky to live in California, so a minimum of 16 weeks of those 5 months is paid to some degree (at around 60% of gross), and a lot of that is non-taxable, so it is not so different than my usual take-home pay. The rest of it we will figure out - been saving money to have a cushion. Work will be hiring someone on a 6-month contract to cover me while I am gone.

H has awesome benefits and gets 8 paid weeks off, and the option of 6 additional paid "family leave" weeks through California if he wants. Maybe we can use some of that to cover the gap considering that our daycare waitlists don't have spots until JULY.

[requiressnacks]

emilie, my company just started giving 8 weeks paid paternity leave this year! Although my H doesn't work here (boo), I think it's great that some companies are finally getting with the program.

And OMG - no openings until JULY?!

[hmr11913]

I love that so many companies are giving dads time off.... they need that too! I wish that DH company did, but they do pay 100% of our insurance premium so I guess I can't complain too much. I'm jealous of you 16 weekers and 12 MONTHS! That is amazing!!! I wish that more states followed suit.

[requiressnacks]

I'll be honest, I was shocked with H talked to his HR and they said he gets no time off for having a baby. That is so insane to me! Very eye-opening.

[hmr11913]

Aug 30, 2016 10:25:37 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

I'll be honest, I was shocked with H talked to his HR and they said he gets no time off for having a baby. That is so insane to me! Very eye-opening.

Yeah .... same here.  

[legalbeagle]

My work gives sixteen weeks fully paid for primary caregiver and only one week for secondary. It is amazing to me how big the disparity is!

I'll take the full sixteen and maybe add a week or two of vacation. DH will probably take two to three weeks -- his employer offers three but it is hard for him to be away due to nature of job/personality.

[mrswillie]

My official last day is next Thursday. My supervisor was going to ask our deputy director about me closing some files that are ready from home so that will help them. We'll see. I wouldn't mind doing that. FX.

With DS1, I took 13 weeks - 12 weeks of FMLA plus 1 additional unpaid week since daycare was closed for vacation.

With DS2, I took 12 weeks of FMLA and then worked from home 20 hrs/week for 2 months since daycare didn't have a spot until then.

Work doesn't offer any STD. I looked for a policy on my own prior to DS1, but the one I found that would cover pregnancy only covered for a c-section. Didn't know I'd be having a c-section at that point. I guess I could've gotten it for DS2 knowing I'd most likely have an RCS. Oh well.