X-post to WP: Returning to work while child is still in NICU

[jennyelf]

Vent: there really ought to be something in maternity leave policies to handle cases of premature or otherwise hospitalized babies.

Background: My friend had a baby at 30wks. Baby is doing about as well as a baby 10 weeks early could be doing. Unfortunately, she only gets 6 weeks of maternity leave and she has to return to work this Monday. Baby is still in NICU and likely to be there for at least another month.
She can't continue to use FMLA right now because if she does, she won't be able to take any further time off once baby is home. Also she may have used up a bit of it beforehand as she had complications and bed-rest before she gave birth.

Any advice for her on how best to manage? Also what can the rest of us (friends who want to help) do?

Thank you.

[wicked22]

If your friend did not take all six weeks sometimes companies will give the option to split maturity after birth and then finish maturity leave when the baby comes home. If she's already taken all six weeks then it's up to her company if they want to give her more time off. I split my leave and when I returned to work before baby came home I went up to the hospital after work for a few hours. Another thought is if she is able to do some work from home she might be able to work something out with her employeer for limited hours at home.

[motownthrowdown]

In this exact boat right now. I took 3 weeks after Amelia was born at 28 weeks. If I want any paid time off once she comes home, I need to go back Monday, which is what I'm doing. I also need to save my Fmla so that I'm allowed to take off when she's home. My work does only what they are legally required to do in terms of Fmla so even if I had paid vacation time, I might not get the time off if I burn all my Fmla and they decide we are short handed, which we will be.

Maternity leave policies in America are an embarrassment.

[direy25]

I was in a similar situation last time, except our NICU was also 4 hours away from home. Luckily my work let me work remotely from there, and I just worked the minimum hours to be able to keep my insurance benefits. Agreed with Motownthrowdown, the policies in this country are embarrassing and it's ridiculous that there's no additional options for preemie situations. Good luck to your friend!

[theycallmekveld]

Is there any way she can work some from home/the hospital? I did some work for my job sitting next to DS' crib in the NICU. I had the kind of job that was easily done with any computer access so idk if that's feasible for her. Hugs to your friend!

[jennyelf]

Thank you for all of the suggestions!
She is going to try to do some work from the hospital a few times a week (dependent on WiFi).

[minae01]

Also, there is a way to extend FMLA time since she will now be caring for a preemie. It is different from maternity leave. I'm a teacher and I was able to get more PTO (using sick days) using new a new FMLA application signed by my pediatrician. I'm not sure what her job is and if they allow her to use sick days or are strict about 6 weeks, but it's something to look into since delivering early is a special circumstance.

And motownthrowdown, I totally agree with you. Our maternity leave in the US is a fucking joke.

[rayann687]

I am in the exact same boat. My work wouldn't let me split my paid time from disability. If I went back early, I lost pay for the remaining weeks I had. I am going back Monday, which will be difficult. My work is flexible where I will be able to take any extra FMLA I have and a personal leave for up to 4 months if I need it. The down side is none of it would be paid. I wish I could work from home but I work in a call center and they don't allow us to.