It is my first pregancy so I really appreciate some wisdom here. :) I know normally mom would not work till the estimated due date becuase the baby could actually arrive earlier. I do not want to “waste” the maternity leave on the days that I can still work(with WFH flexibilty) during last a few weeks. I want to save it to bonding with my baby after born. So, is leaving say, 5-7 days before due date reasonable? When did you or your spouse started maternity leave and how do you satisfy with the decision afterwards? thanks all!
Lots of first time moms go past the due date. Would wait as long as possible especially if your work allows you to start earlier than you communicate if you have the baby before your planned date for beginning leave.
Good point...so first time mom tended to have later delivery? That’s really something new to me. Thank you for bringing this up! :) Work should be supportive if I delivered earlier (they have to anyway). I want to give team and manager enough notice so they can plan ahead as well. It’s easier to have a date on paper for all to arrange handoff and set expectations etc
Just give them your actual due date or a day or two after as your start date for leave.
I waited till due date. Dont waste the time.
Don’t start parental leave until baby is born. Use WFH or sick days in the mean time.
If in CA, 1 month before due date. It's considered short term disability and protected by labor law
It’s not short term disability, pregnancy isn’t a disability. It’s FMLA and requires a doctors note. Or you can burn vacation time.
As a pregnant mom, you can receive up to four weeks of Disability Insurance (DI) benefits for a normal pregnancy before your expected due date. You can also receive up to six weeks (for normal delivery) or eight weeks (for Cesarean section) of DI benefits after your delivery to recover from childbirth. Source https://www.edd.ca.gov/disability/pfl_mothers.htm
If you are in CA you can probably have about maximum 7 month leave to take. PDL 4 weeks before due date and 6-8 weeks after delivery, if needed PDL can be extended with additional prove to up to 4 month. Then MFLA gives maximum 3 month of bonding or family leave(there are more nuances to it tho). How much can be paid depends on the company policy. But California will cover some of the pay during the leave.
How early in the pregnancy can the paid leave start? I likely need it 2 months into the pregnancy. New to this and in CA, would appreciate your help.
Can you work from home starting a week before the due date until the baby comes?
Yes I can. Actually I am currently work from home many days a week. Team is pretty supportive about this
That’s great. I would try something like this then.