ZOMG I have a Pregnancy/Maternity question

mandysmear

Assuming you had a year off work paid by unemployment insurance (so roughly 60% of your salary), when would you take your mat leave?  Also assuming that you had a normal/bed rest free pregnancy.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I'd start 3-4 weeks before my due date with a first pregnancy. Aren't they usually a little early?

But since I live in the US, I never have to worry about how to handle mandatory maternity leave! Thanks, guys!

3plus

I left on my mat leave (it was only 6 months at that time) two weeks before my due date.  Good thing too because the bugger came 10 days early.

wadingmoose

Most do it within a couple of weeks of their due date.

Mandy.  Is there something you need to share with the class? 

lilgina64

You get HOW much time off for maternity leave!??

and I thought my company was good with 3 months after you've been here 5 years... sheesh. I'm moving to Canada, any warm areas?

crfische

Is this the Twilight Zone?

vallyhoo

You know, you shouldn't assume.

pumpkinpumpkin

ditto Wading.

mandysmear

Haha!  Hell no, I was just curious.  I know a couple people who are taking theirs 9 and 10 weeks out.  I thought it was a little early.

My girlfriend stopped at 2 weeks out because she is a hairstylist and could barely reach her clients anymore.

mandysmear

PS.  It's the gov't who pays you the mat leave salary.  There are some stipulations though.  ie. you have to pay into it for at least a year and a certain amount of hours have to be worked in that time frame, etc.

They are just now making it that business owners can pay into employment insurance. 

wadingmoose

Aw come on.  What's Monday without a little faux rumour? ? Some gossip to giggle over?

salt78

I just had a minor freak out because every time I tried to open this post I got a server error.

ac_in_dc

Bummer. I think a little Mandy would be awfully cute.

SarahPLiz

your assumptions make me jealous. I only get 6 weeks if I use all my sick time and vacation for the year. I'd work until my water broke. FI's company gives 3 months paid 100%.

FWIW, I have a friend who is a night shift ER RN and is due this weekend. Its nice that she will already be at the hospital if anything happens, but she is still on the schedule for this week. SHe went to work with pre-labor symptoms last week.

I am going to assume you are Canadian, because US unemployment doesn't cover maternity. Neither does short term disability in most cases, unless there are complications.

lpstl

I think it would depend on the type of work I was doing. But, if I had a year to take off, I'd have a hard time not just leaving work right now. That's mostly because lately my job makes me want to stab my eyes out.

Realistically I'd probably take off 2 weeks to a month early depending on how uncomfortable I was getting and how much stuff I had to do at home to prepare for the baby.

mandysmear

Yeah sorry to disappoint AC, it won't be happening for a loooooong while if at all

BubbleJ

I think it depends on what job you do. I know someone who finished working two months out but she was a waitress and couldn't be on her feet 8+ hours a day anymore. Other then that I would think 2-3 weeks out. Some women work right up and leave work when their waters break, it all depends on the person.

Here I think we get 3, maybe 4 months maternity leave, but you can halve your pay and take double the time off with regular income. Fathers get 10 days, I think. This was all on the news a couple of years ago but I wasn't really paying attention.

lannerjarv

and here i was yesterday bitching about how much it covers!
it maxes out per week at about $450 i think.. so if you make quite a decent income you take a SERIOUS pay cut while off with the baby.
something is better than nothing i suppose.

to answer the question i plan on taking the last 2 weeks of the pregnancy off.

playtntsbpg30

Where I use to work, the girls worked up to the week of their due date. Unless complications made them leave earlier.
My best friend, worked until 2 days before since it was a scheduled c-section about a week before he actual due date. She then could have 8 to 10 weeks off since it's a c-section. She been there for 3 yrs now and didn't have any kind of pay so she went back only 5 weeks after the baby.


Reasonably, I'd think about 2 weeks before the due date unless otherwise directed by the doctor.

wadingmoose

Wait.  What?

Lanner?  Have I missed something?

mandysmear

I don't think I would have kids if I could only take like 5 weeks off.  6 months would be good. 

Lanner it could be $450 every week.  I know E.I. pays on a weekly basis.  You could be right, maybe the $450 was 60% of what my friend got. 

3plus

Mat benefits right now are 55% of your income to a maximum of $447 a week.  This is also considered taxable income.

katiewhompus

Wow...a year? *grabs dh and moves to canada land*

I get 6 weeks for vaginal birth, 8 weeks for cesarian here. Dh gets nothing so he's saving up all of his vacation/sick for when when I get pregnant/go on leave.

I'll probably leave 1- 2 weeks before the due date. I would hate for my water to break in the middle of the school day, that would not be fun.

Ciaram22

Where I work I get 6 weeks of paid or 12 weeks of unpaid. I plan on taking the 6 weeks paid plus my 3 weeks of paid vacation and whatever amount of sick pay I have. If all goes well that should equal somewhere between 10 and 11 weeks. I'm not sure how many DH gets but I'm pretty sure its 2.

danieliza1127

I would wait to as close as giving birth as I could stand, that way the majority of the full year is spent with the actual baby.  That's pretty awesome by the way.

Stackeye210

I left work 2 weeks prior to Lil Stack's due date but had her 4 days after I left work.  I had 6 weeks mat leave but got the doctor to approve 2 more weeks for "baby bonding".  It was surprising how easy it was to get the doctor to approve more time. 

momofayden

I would owrk all the way up until the baby came.  You are going to want as much time off with the baby as possible.
I get no paid maternity leave.