Medical leave before giving birth??

Posts: 220
5/30/11 3:08 P

I don't know your state so I can only speak from my experience. I had a rough pregnancy and was put on bedrest at 28 weeks and delivered at 35 weeks. They could have offered me special extended leave but chose not to. All they would accommodate me with was the 12 weeks of FMLA so they wanted me to return to work before my babies were 6 weeks old. I could not do it and quit. I will go back into the workforce when my twins are 1 year old.

Definitely follow the advice of a pp and talk to HR. But be careful. If they say they can do something special for you, get it in writing. My HR dept said they could get me more than 12 weeks and then when I went out on leave, she claimed she had never said that.

Posts: 1
5/29/11 8:47 P

Everything depends on the type of leave you are trying to take.

If you qualify for FMLA, that would give you up to 12 weeks unpaid time off.

Normally, the first 6 - 8 weeks, depending on vaginal birth vs c section, is considered recovery, the remainder of the 12 weeks can be considered "bonding time".

The more time you take off during the pregnancy, like sick time/bed rest and/or doctor appointments for your pregnancy, the less time you will have to take at the end as 12 weeks is the max.

Getting paid on disability may depend on if you elected this insurance through your employer. Not everyone has this. Also, the type of payout may depend on the plan itself. I have seen many carriers have different payouts and waiting periods. In my experience, disability only pays for the "recovery" portion of your leave, not the "bonding time".

If you want to know specifics, you need to go to your HR/benefits administrator. Every insurance plan/leave of absence/disability plan is very specific and I could be giving the wrong information and I work in HR for my company and deal with our employees often about this.

I wish you luck! Its very exciting!

Posts: 53
5/24/11 3:33 P

I dont know what state disability you have in CT but I live in NY. I only have FMLA which is a total of 12 weeks. I only plan on being out on Maternity leave for 8 weeks so If I wanted I could go out earlier... for me its mor of a matter of money because my maternity leave is UNPAID, and disability is only 185 a week... not enough to get gas and groceries to live on for my family for the week... let alone the bills, but if you have a good support system, deterrmine what would be best for you.

Posts: 3
5/16/11 8:03 P

Hi,
As long as you have a written doctor's note that you need to be taken off work, I believe it's however long your dr says you need to go on disability. I know that after you have the baby it's 6 weeks for vaginal birth and 8 weeks for a c-section. But if the dr puts you on disability before your due date I believe it's for as long as you are "disabled". I hope I'm correct on this.
Good luck!

Posts: 1140
5/16/11 7:13 P

Hi Ladies,
I'm 28wks and been having a tough time this pregnancy... Just wondering if any of you know what happens if you go out on medical leave BEFORE actually giving birth...

I'm in the US (CT specifically) and was just wondering if anyone knew what the laws were. I'm just worried starting leave early would mean less time at home later with my little one... does anyone happen to know or have experience with this?

Thanks so much for your help!