The Many Layers of Maternity Leave

Congratulations on your soon-to-be bundle of joy! Now, you have a million things to plan before your precious little one arrives and one important thing to tackle is taking time off for maternity leave. For working moms, this is no easy feat. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the process of understanding maternity leave, you are not alone. Many organizations do not have a clear-cut path on how to take advantage of the rights that you are entitled to and do not provide the support that pregnant women need. Maternity leave rights vary. It is always wise to check your local governmental rights and company policies.

If you are anything like me, you like to plan. I wanted to take full advantage of maternity leave, but when I reached out to my Human Resources department, I was not being supported. It felt like I was the first person to ever get pregnant! Granted I work for a big organization and the HR department is inundated, but it’s no excuse. That made me jump right into my research mode to find out what I was entitled to and how I could exercise these rights.

Talking to Your Boss

The first layer you have to uncover about working through your maternity leave plan is communicating with your boss about being pregnant. You might feel anxious or nervous about telling your boss that you are pregnant. I know I did! I wanted to find the right time to tell my boss I was expecting, but I didn’t know how he would react. I waited until I was in my second trimester. I wanted to figure out my plan first, determine how much time I would be taking off, and have a plan on transitioning back after maternity leave. It was a great test to determine what type of leader I was working for and if he would give me the support I needed. Initially, he seemed supportive and happy for me. However, as time went on, his entire demeanor changed. He became resentful of the extra work that he would have to shoulder and at one point, he made an inappropriate remark insinuating that my maternity leave would be a vacation and he was “allowing” me to take it. This did not sit well with me. At the time, a friend had mentioned there was a job opportunity at another agency. I was reluctant to make any major life changes. After all, I would be going through a huge life change by giving birth, but it sounded intriguing. I applied for the position and immediately felt like it was a better fit. Before accepting the offer, I was very clear about my maternity leave. I had nothing to lose and wanted to determine if they would be supportive. I also wanted to make sure it would be a good fit for them since I would be out on maternity leave. To my surprise, not only were they supportive, but they were incredibly accommodating. My unique situation allowed me to have the conversation without having to endure the same consequences as my previous boss. Ironically, shortly after I left the agency with the boss that made the inappropriate comments, he was let go. Switching to a new position while being pregnant isn’t always favorable, but when you land at a new organization that feels like home, it’s worth it all. It’s also a great way to find out if the agency is truly supportive of your pregnancy. 

Federal and State Laws About Maternity Leave

Federal and state laws, as well as some company policies determine how much leave you are entitled to for the birth or adoption of a child. It is important to become familiar with what leave is available to you, how to prepare for your time away from work, and what is required along the way.

There are several types of leave that you are entitled to as being a pregnant mother. I live in California so my maternity leave might be different from yours, but I wanted to provide some examples of what I discovered. 

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA) provides an eligible employee with up to 12 workweeks of paid/unpaid leave with employer-paid health, dental and vision benefits to care for a newborn child or care for a child placed for adoption/foster care within the last 12 months. The eligible CFRA employee can then take a 12-week CFRA baby bonding leave. In addition, pregnancy itself is not covered as a serious health condition. Instead, in California, a pregnant employee is entitled to a Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL). Pregnancy Disability Leave is leave from work to accommodate employees with a pregnancy disability. Your health care provider will recommend how long you need to take leave from work, but you are entitled to up to four months (17.33 weeks) of PDL per pregnancy. It is important to note that FMLA, CFRA, and PDL is not a source of compensation during your time off. They are given to pregnant moms as protection and rights. FMLA and PDL run concurrently. PDL runs concurrently with any leave the employee is eligible for under FMLA. When the PDL ends, the employee is entitled to take up to 12 additional weeks of unpaid leave for bonding with her new child under CFRA. Wow! If that isn’t confusing enough, you must work with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to get any paid compensation while out on maternity leave. 

Getting Paid While on Maternity Lave

When you are on maternity leave, some states allow you to receive compensation. In California, you are able to file a claim through the California EDD. After the birth of your baby, you can go out on State Disability Insurance (SDI). SDI is paid through Employment Development Department and is for workers who lose wages when they are unable to work due to a non-work-related illness or injury, pregnancy, or childbirth. Paid Family Leave (PFL) is a wage continuation benefit that is limited to a six-week paid benefit within a 12-month period. Typically, you will have 6 weeks of SDI for a normal birth and 8 weeks of SDI for cesarean section. If your doctor deems it necessary, he/she can extend your SDI based on your medical conditions. This will require proper documentation. It is important to note that your doctor can extend your SDI leave but cannot extend any other leave like PFL. 

After your SDI is over, you have the option to use your PFL to get paid. This is limited to 6 weeks and does not have to be used immediately after SDI. However, you must use it prior to the baby’s first birthday. In order to receive PFL, you must do all of this through EDD. Again, research your local governmental rights and company policies. I wanted to share all of this because its what I found out and applicable if you live in California. 

Health Benefits and Other Forms to Consider

While all of this is confusing, there is still more to consider:

• Determine if you plan to use any vacation time, sick time (if allowed), or paid time off

• Ensure that you have health coverage while being out on leave

• Find out how you can add your baby’s health coverage once he/she is born and how quickly this must be done

• Become familiar with the HR person that you will be working with during your maternity leave and make sure you have their contact information so that while you are out of the office, you are able to get ahold of them for any questions or concerns you may have

• Consider changing your tax withholdings

• Designate any stocks, retirement, or savings plans for your new baby/beneficiary

Paperwork After Giving Birth

If all these layers aren’t unraveling enough, you will have more things to do after labor and delivery. After you give birth, you will have many documents that you have to fill out. I do not know why they rush you with these documents after you have just given birth, but they are important. If something does not make sense, don’t be afraid to speak up. Also, it might be wise to wait to complete the documents when you aren’t completely exhausted so that you are able to spell your baby’s name correctly for the birth certificate. I have heard stories about having the wrong name on the birth certificate! Enlist the support of your partner or family member to help you prioritize the documents that are necessary and the ones that can be completed when you go home. Also, if your employer requires any documents after you give birth, it would be good to store these papers somewhere safe. 

Enjoying Maternity Leave

Hopefully, everything will all be worked out about your maternity leave prior to your baby’s birth. The best advice I can give about being on maternity leave is to just enjoy it. Work will be there when you get back. This precious time with your newborn baby will be a memory that you cherish forever. The rollercoaster ride will have twists and turns, but the highs will be all worth it.