What happens when your maternity leave is up?

I was just reading some of those stories of the first few weeks-months with twins and getting pretty scared. I am so worried about having to go back to work before I'm ready. I had originally planned on taking the 12 weeks (FMLA) knowing that 6 of those weeks would be without pay and just trying to make it work, but after having to leave work at 27 weeks to be put on bedrest we cannot afford for me to take that second 6 weeks without pay. We're barely making ends meet now so I was planning on returning to work after 6 weeks.

Is that completely unrealistic? Our house is too tiny to accomodate someone for overnight help (which I know a lot of people depend on and recommend) but we do have family in the area who could help with meals for a while. I'm just worried about going back to work completely sleep deprived. DH will only be able to take off 2 weeks max so I'm not sure how much help he will be at night after that.

Right now it looks like I should be able to deliver vaginally, so hopefully that works out so I don't need as long to recover and I'm also planning on breastfeeding if I can. Is 6 weeks do-able? What do you think??? :umm:

 

i am sure people have done it, but i wno't lie, i was pretty tired still at 6 weeks- physically too (and i had both of mine vaginally). is there any possibility of you going back parttime at first? that might help you ease into it better. maybe you could do 4 hour days or something and you would at least have SOME income and it wouldnt be quite so demanding. just a thought. i know my work allows it, but not all jobs adjust to part-time status. my friend at work was able to do this and actually stretch her time with the kids longer that way (you still get the same nubmer of hours off, so instead of 6 additional weeks, you get 12 at reduced hours, if that makes sense?)

 

Personally I could not imagine going back to work after 6 weeks with twins. I couldn't even have done it with my singleton. But I'm sure there are plenty of people who do. With my oldest I was teaching full time so I saved all my sick/personal days for my first 5 years of teaching. I took 12 weeks off, and all but one was paid. With the twins I went out early with bedrest and then a c-section and was able to use sick leave bank (from our teacher's association) for 4 weeks after my leave was used up. That still put us at 2 months without pay that we didn't expect. We knew I would be staying home after the twins were born, but didn't expect the extra 2 months without pay and not being able to save during that time. We had savings so we dipped into that. Good luck!

 

I can't believe how terrible the maternity leave is in the U.S.A.!! In Canada you get a full year off with 55% of your gross pay paid for with your employment insurance. I couldn't even imagine only 6 or 12 weeks off after a twin or even a singleton pregnancy. Your government sure needs to pony up and support working mothers better! I hope you can figure out a solution that is doable for your family and big hugs to you! Jen

 

QUOTE(canucktwins @ Aug 4 2007, 07:09 PM) [snapback]357877[/snapback]
I can't believe how terrible the maternity leave is in the U.S.A.!! In Canada you get a full year off with 55% of your gross pay paid for with your employment insurance. I couldn't even imagine only 6 or 12 weeks off after a twin or even a singleton pregnancy. Your government sure needs to pony up and support working mothers better! I hope you can figure out a solution that is doable for your family and big hugs to you! Jen



Wow, a whole year, that would be wonderful. I agree that our maternity leave sucks.

 

QUOTE(canucktwins @ Aug 4 2007, 07:09 PM) [snapback]357877[/snapback]
I can't believe how terrible the maternity leave is in the U.S.A.!! In Canada you get a full year off with 55% of your gross pay paid for with your employment insurance. I couldn't even imagine only 6 or 12 weeks off after a twin or even a singleton pregnancy. Your government sure needs to pony up and support working mothers better! I hope you can figure out a solution that is doable for your family and big hugs to you! Jen

My Goodness.....You just reaffirmed to me how much I can not stand the idiots in office!!!!

 

the US actually is the 3 worst country in the world for maternity leave behind North Korea and another middle eastern country I cannot think of right now...at any rate going back after 6 weeks is difficult...I took the whole 12 weeks and I seriously wish I could have had another 6 MONTHS after that...

people who work together (like DH and I) get screwed on FMLA - if he would have taken FMLA instead of vacation time I would have only gotten 6 weeks...

hey before Clinton FMLA wasn't even around! so we've come somewhere in the last 12 years...

 

I had to stop working at 24 weeks, so I was out of work much longer than expected. Plus I am a teacher, so add in summer vacation without pay and that was even LONGER that I was out of work. It was difficult but we managed. There is only so much you can do. We drastically changed our spending habits (bare necessities only) and we managed to get by. If you have to go back to work after 6 weeks, yes it will be challenging, but you have to do what is best for your family. My heart goes out to you...it is a tough position to be placed in.

 

QUOTE(canucktwins @ Aug 4 2007, 11:09 PM) [snapback]357877[/snapback]
I can't believe how terrible the maternity leave is in the U.S.A.!! In Canada you get a full year off with 55% of your gross pay paid for with your employment insurance. I couldn't even imagine only 6 or 12 weeks off after a twin or even a singleton pregnancy. Your government sure needs to pony up and support working mothers better! I hope you can figure out a solution that is doable for your family and big hugs to you! Jen


I second that! My company is global, and I met a Canadian counterpart last year who had just returned from her year of maternity leave. That is so awesome... but also a bummer to be working for the same company and not reaping the same benefits.

You know, people also keep asking me if I get "double the time off" since I'm having twins!!! Wouldn't that be a nice concept???

 

QUOTE(canucktwins @ Aug 4 2007, 07:09 PM) [snapback]357877[/snapback]
I can't believe how terrible the maternity leave is in the U.S.A.!! In Canada you get a full year off with 55% of your gross pay paid for with your employment insurance. I couldn't even imagine only 6 or 12 weeks off after a twin or even a singleton pregnancy. Your government sure needs to pony up and support working mothers better! I hope you can figure out a solution that is doable for your family and big hugs to you! Jen



I totally agree. America really needs to step up in that area...it's just all about the almighty dollar in the US.

 

I was on leave without pay because I didn't have enough vacation/sick hours saved up. I got no "maternity" leave - I just had to use whatever time I had saved. And I work for the US govt!!!
I am the sole breadwinner, so it was tough, but we managed to get through those 6 weeks without pay. Like others have said, we went down to bare necessities.

 

I don't know about 6wks. That would be very difficult. It might depend, too, on the nature of your work. Do you have any family members who would be willing to camp out on the couch for part of the nights or early mornings to help out? What kind of childcare will you be using? I like the idea of maybe doing a reduced schedule for a few weeks first.


QUOTE(itsnancycozzi @ Aug 5 2007, 08:39 AM) [snapback]358285[/snapback]
I totally agree. America really needs to step up in that area...it's just all about the almighty dollar in the US.


Well when the taxpayers are willing to step up the money they shell out in taxes, maybe something like that can happen. Everything comes with a price.

 

I am a teacher and went back to work at 6 weeks post partum to the day. I was lucky in that this was a week before winter break so I only had to work a week and then had 2 off again. I had a vaginal/c-section delivery and the OB wanted me to stay home until January but I wanted the cushion of 2 days of sick leave left if I went back that week and it was a good time for my students to transition back to me from the sub. It was really hard to go to work dead tired and still sore because my incision did not heal properly. I should have stayed home but we couldn't afford to go into unpaid leave. I was able to work until I was hospitalized at 33 weeks but used 5 weeks of leave up before the girls were born at 38 weeks. Of course, I am very glad we got to 38 weeks, don't get me wrong!

My German relatives were disgusted by my poor excuse for maternity leave!

 

QUOTE(Jennie-OH @ Aug 5 2007, 09:55 AM) [snapback]358369[/snapback]
I don't know about 6wks. That would be very difficult. It might depend, too, on the nature of your work. Do you have any family members who would be willing to camp out on the couch for part of the nights or early mornings to help out? What kind of childcare will you be using? I like the idea of maybe doing a reduced schedule for a few weeks first.
Well when the taxpayers are willing to step up the money they shell out in taxes, maybe something like that can happen. Everything comes with a price.

My mom and MIL will be helping us with "grandma daycare", they will work out some sort of alternate schedule. I'm in sales so I work in an office and am on the phone most of my time during the day. It's not a physical job, but it does take a lot of energy. I also travel a lot for work and will have to attend a trade show in Vegas late October/early November...

We haven't really put too much thought into having someone stay overnight to help us out...My mom is in no physical condition to sleep on a couch....

 

In Massachusetts you get 8wks off for a singleton(or you can use FLMA), and any additional babies...you get an additional 8 wks off, so I get 16 wks off without pay, but at least my job stays secure.

 

Anything is do-able; you do what has to be done. but, truthfully, I was pretty tired still at 6 weeks. I went back to work at 9 weeks - exhausted, and after 3 unpaid weeks - which we've made work by taking shifts during the night. Luckily, in the past week or so, the boys have been sleeping 6-7 hours at night, so we've had some relief and can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel. Even so, we're still pretty tired all the time.

 

Does your employer offer any disability? I know in my last pregnancy, I was out of work at 30 weeks and was able to collect Short Term Disability prior to giving birth. It was 60% of my normal income, which helped tremendously. Then, once I had my daughter, I had my usual up to 12 weeks w/o pay...although I'm thinking I still got some LTD as well. Check on that...that might be helpful!

 

QUOTE(erinh56 @ Aug 6 2007, 10:22 AM) [snapback]359572[/snapback]
Does your employer offer any disability? I know in my last pregnancy, I was out of work at 30 weeks and was able to collect Short Term Disability prior to giving birth. It was 60% of my normal income, which helped tremendously. Then, once I had my daughter, I had my usual up to 12 weeks w/o pay...although I'm thinking I still got some LTD as well. Check on that...that might be helpful!

I'm on short term disability right now and have been receiving 60% for the last 8-9 weeks. I guess I'm just foggy on how it will all work once the babies are born. I try asking the HR lady at work and she makes it sound like nothing is set in stone in terms of maternity leave time, but my boss has other ideas...I'll have to ask my OB's opinion too and see what she says.

 

HI-
I'm at 8 weeks right now and I'm goign to stay home - but if I were to go back - I would wait till now - at 8 weeks - as I'm just starting to feel like it would be okay.