Navigating and planning for Maternity Leave can be stressful as there are so many factors to consider; federal guidelines, work benefits, financial planning, etc. It can be hard knowing where to look to find reliable information.
So I’ve compiled and summarized a list of resources for you to easily reference all in one place. This should be a joyful time for you and not a period of stress for all the “what ifs” in life.
Check out some of these resources so that you can adequately prepare and have peace of mind for your upcoming transition.
**NOTE: As I live in America and most of Preparing 4 Maternity Leave online traffic comes from the United States, the following are resources for American users only. If you reside in another country, please seek information appropriate for your location.
Federal Guidelines
Access the US Department of Labor’s FMLA’s guidelines to see comprehensive details on job-protected leave. However, I’ve summarized the main points here.
The US Department of Labor provides job-protected leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for companies that have 50 or more employees.
If your employer has fewer employees, they are not required to provide FMLA. However, if your employer has 15 or more employees, taking your leave under ADA may be your next option. See the next section for more information on ADA.
It’s also important to note that FMLA is not required to be paid leave but just job-protected. Meaning you have the right to return to your same position and pay (or an equivalent) after having a baby, but you will likely not get paid during leave unless your company provides this benefit.
Your group health insurance coverage is also required to continue during your FMLA.
Under FMLA you can take up to 12 workweeks off, but you do not have to use all 12 weeks if you do not wish to do so. You can only use FMLA once every 12 month period.
FMLA covers both child adoption/foster care and birth of children, as long as it is within one year of birth or placement.
Some of the eligibility key points to know are:
- You must have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months prior to the leave.
- Have worked for the employer for 12 months (there are some exceptions on if this needs to be consecutive or not, see the eligibility section for more information).
- Any PTO/sick/vacation hours taken during the 12 months prior to leave do not count towards the 1,250 hours.
- Both Mothers and Fathers can take FMLA.
- You must provide at least 30 days notice prior to leave that you wish to use FMLA, the sooner the better though. (there are some extenuating circumstances around this, i.e. the placement of a child for adoption/foster care is sometimes unforeseeable).
Typically FMLA starts after the birth or placement of a child, but Mothers can start FMLA during their prenatal period if health conditions arise. Intermittent leave must be approved by the employer when medically necessary.
What if I don’t qualify for FMLA?
Perhaps you’re like me, and with our second child, I had not been employed at my new job for a year yet and so I was not eligible for FMLA. No need to panic, there are other ways for us Mamas to be home with our babies without losing our job.
If you are an employee but do not meet the requirements for FMLA, you are automatically eligible for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) during the disability portion of maternity leave.
It’s important to note that the “disability portion of maternity leave” is a duration dependent on how your delivery goes and ultimately what your doctor decides. Typically speaking though, it is only 6 weeks for natural birth and 8 weeks for C-section.
If you wish to take more time off, for the typical 12 weeks for example, your next option would likely be applying for a Personal Leave of Absence if your company offers this benefit.
It’s always best to discuss your options and plan early with your company’s Human Resources Department and/or direct supervisor. This way you can have a plan in place and everybody is able to adequately prepare for your absence.
State Guidelines
While FMLA is a federal law, meaning it is required in all states, each state is allowed to set their own standards to expand on this law. Specifically on if they want to offer paid leave or not.
The National Conference of State Legislatures provides a list of which states offer paid maternity leave.
States can vary by who is eligible for paid leave, how long the leave can be, and how much the employee will receive.
I would recommend looking up your own state’s official website to get the most up to date information and any further details that may need to be considered as well.
Financial Planning
Unfortunately, most women and families have to navigate through an unpaid leave or at least a gross income less than their typical.
There are a few ways to help lessen this financial burden, all of which will require some advance planning on your part. So you are in the right place!
Short Term Disability
Short Term Disability is probably the most common way to get paid during leave but requires the most proactive planning – as in before you get pregnant.
Short Term Disability is an insurance benefit that replaces all or a portion of your income if you become disabled from a covered accident or sickness. Pregnancy does fall into this “disabled” category.
The only thing is you have to already be enrolled with this benefit to be allowed to use it, as pregnancy would count as a pre-existing condition.
I’ll use myself as an example. With my first RDN job, my husband and I had been married for a few years and knew that we were going to want a family someday. So when open enrollment came around, I went ahead and enrolled for Short Term Disability.
It was just a small monthly fee, but I knew it would come in handy in case we ended up pregnant over the course of the next year. Which we did.
So during my maternity leave I was able to have job-protected leave under FMLA with Short Term Disability running congruent to this to get paid.
Short Term Disability benefits will vary by insurance plan but for me it was my “full wage, up to $500 per week.” So essentially I got paid $500 a week. While this was much less than what we were used to, it definitely helped us stay afloat during my leave.
But similar to ADA, Short Term Disability is only until you are technically medically cleared to return to work. Typically 6 weeks for natural birth and 8 weeks for C-section.
So we only reaped the benefits for 6 weeks. Again, this didn’t match a regular paycheck by any means, but we were grateful for what we were able to receive.
However, with my second pregnancy because of the same reasoning that we didn’t qualify for FMLA, I also did not have Short Term Disability Insurance.
As I was a new employee at my job I hadn’t yet been eligible to apply for any benefits because I was still in my probationary period.
So we relied heavily on saving money ahead of time and lots of meal prepping to help us get through my second maternity leave with our second daughter.
Based on my experience, my advice would be to enroll in short-term disability during your next enrollment period if you think you may get pregnant within the next year.
FSA/HSA
A penny saved is a penny earned, right? Anywhere that you can save money in the months leading up to your maternity leave will make your actual leave that much less financially-stressful.
Utilizing a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or a Health Savings Account (HSA) would be an excellent tactic to help save some cash.
FSA and HSA are a type of savings account that lets you set aside money from each pay on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. There are a few differences between these two options that are worth looking into if you want to capitalize on this savings.
Perhaps consider putting a bit more into these accounts with each paycheck. This money is deducted without being taxed which is financially beneficial.
You can use these accounts to pay for a variety of out-of-pocket medical expenses, like copays and deductibles. There are a lot of appointments prior to and during your leave, that these accounts would be advantageous to use instead of the cash right from your wallet.
Which in the long run, can allow you to have more money available during your actual leave when you’ll be needing it the most.
PTO/Sick Days
While this typically doesn’t thrill most people, using your PTO/Sick/Vacation days is a way to get paid during part of your leave.
This may be non-optional depending on your employer’s policies. Some companies require an individual to use all of their paid time off first before starting FMLA.
Again, this is usually met with a groan on the employee’s part as we all know how precious this time is to us, but when bills need to be paid this can actually be a beneficial requirement.
If your company does not require you to use paid time off at the beginning of your leave, you can choose to take your time at the end of your leave to extend the time you have with your little one.
So whether you’re required to use this time or not, utilizing paid time off can be a nice fall back to get paid during a portion of your leave.
Budgeting
And finally, good ol’ budgeting is what gets most of us Mamas through unpaid leave. And planning out your budget ahead of time can not only prevent stress but also keep you accountable during your leave.
Having a plan can also help save you a headache of trying to figure out finances when you should be using this time to enjoy your new baby.
The following are some of the tips we followed to budget for my maternity leaves.
First we analyzed our bills and spending to figure out exactly how much we would need to have during each month of my leave. Then we subtracted the amount of income that we knew we would have coming in, like my husband’s pay for example.
This gave us the amount that we knew we would have to save for. So we divided that amount by how many months we had left until my leave, so we knew how much to set aside each month leading up to my leave.
We also knew that our free spending would have to be very limited during my leave, and one of the areas that is “easiest” to manipulate is the weekly grocery budget.
This is where meal prepping can save so much money. Whether you are bulk-preparing meals or just freezing meals here and there, each meal made ahead of time is several dollars saved down the road when money is tight.
Once my maternity leave starts, I take inventory of how many meals I have frozen. I divide this by the number of weeks my leave is. This way I know how many frozen meals to use each week.
While it may not seem like much, not having to buy ingredients for one to two dinners every week during leave truly does add up in savings. Not to mention the convenience of having meals ready to go and not having to figure out what’s for dinner when you are a sleep deprived Mom caring for a newborn.
We also stocked up on diapers in the months leading up to my leave anytime we caught them on sale. No need to worry about having too many in one size as most stores will allow you to trade them in for a different size.
Again anything that you can do or save ahead of time, do it! You will be so thankful that you did. Caring for a newborn will come with its own struggles, so eliminate the struggles that can be prevented by the simple act of planning ahead.
Returning to Work
While returning to work is probably the last thing that you want to think about, this is actually another vital component of your leave that should be considered so that you have a plan in place.
Childcare
Whether your baby is going to be a daycare kid (like mine) or staying with a family member/friend throughout the week, there are a few things to consider.
With daycare, you of course will want to start your search early for a place you like. Touring, getting quotes, and if there is a waiting list or not will help refine the search.
If your baby will be staying with a sitter, be sure schedules are thoroughly planned out ahead of time so you don’t run into any issues last minute.
And no matter where your baby will be, it’s always a good recommendation to do a few “trial” days before your leave actually ends. This helps everybody get accustomed to the change and work out any kinks before the real test comes.
Another huge component of childcare is the cost. There is no sugarcoating that this is usually a tough issue that parents deal with. Childcare is not cheap, nor should it be. We of course want to make sure our children are being well cared for in an appropriate environment, and this typically costs a decent amount of money.
With that being said, it’s always worth looking into to see if you qualify for any financial assistance programs.
As this can vary greatly depending upon which state you reside, I highly recommend the site ChildCare.gov as they have a search function allowing you to search by state.
Not only will this function show results for financial assistance programs, but also; childcare near you, food and nutrition assistance, health and social services, and child development and early learning resources as well.
Overall, it’s an incredible reference for you to bookmark in case you are in need of any of these things down the road as your baby grows and circumstances change.
Nursing At Work
If you plan on breastfeeding your baby, you’ll definitely want to make sure you have a pumping plan in place for when you return to work.
The US Department of Labor has a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requiring employers to provide a reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for their nursing child for one year after the child’s birth.
This Act entitles nursing mothers for a place to pump (other than a bathroom), that is shielded from view and intrusion. Mothers must also be completely relieved from duty while pumping or must be paid for the break time.
It’s important to know your rights and discuss your accommodations prior to your maternity leave with your employer.
You’ll also want to make sure you have all the necessary equipment and supplies; pump, breastmilk storage bags/bottles, a place to charge your pump, a place to store (both refrigerated and non refrigerated items), carrying case, and/or a cooler if you will not have access to a refrigerator.
Speaking from experience, it can be a hard balance managing time and pumping while at work even if all the accommodations are laid out for you. Just know that you are doing your best, and if you are in need of support I recommend joining our Facebook group to talk with other pumping-Mamas like you.
Postpartum Depression
While it’s sometimes taboo to talk about or brushed off as unimportant, once you experience postpartum depression you know how very real it can be.
I’m not a doctor or psychiatrist so I can not diagnose or treat postpartum depression, but I am a Mother who has gone through this struggle.
So it’s my job to make sure you are aware of where and who to reach out to if you begin to start feeling yourself slip into this dark hole.
Firstly you should call your doctor if you start to feel any of the following emotions or feelings without reprieve, such as; sadness, worried, anxiousness, hopelessness, overwhelmed, inability for self-care, intrusive thoughts, lack of interest in your usual activities, or struggling to care for your newborn.
If you are more comfortable speaking with a stranger about your concerns, the US Department of Health and Human Services has a National Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
This is a free, confidential, 24/7 mental health support resource for Mothers. You’ll be able to talk with a mental health professional in real time and they can help walk you through the struggles you’re experiencing.
This is not something to take lightly. We all experience motherhood differently and our circumstances are so highly individualized. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you feel you are needing additional support. It’s more common than you realize.
Conclusion
It doesn’t take long to become overwhelmed when considering all the factors of maternity leave and the new lifestyle this transition brings. I hope this page will help get you started and get a plan in place to take some of the stress off your shoulders.
Listed below are the resources I’ve referenced in this article:
- US Department of Labor’s FMLA’s guidelines
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- For a list of states with paid maternity leave.
- ChildCare.gov
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- For nursing at work rights.
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline
And if you haven’t already, join the Preparing 4 Maternity Leave’s email list to never miss out on new recipes, tips, and strategies. Not to mention to get first dibs on special offers for any upcoming products or services!
I also highly recommend joining our Facebook group to get support for other Mamas just like you. It’s a great place to get idea inspiration while preparing for your leave and continued support for even after your baby has arrived.
I look forward to seeing you there!