Maternity Leave

Maternity leave is the period where you as a mother can build a bond between yourself and your baby. Maternity leave benefits come handy when you can want to resume work.

Know your maternity leave rights:

FMLA gives employees twelve weeks of unpaid leave for both parents after childbirth, the employers are supposed to give you the same working position after you resume work or one equal to the previous position which includes salary, job benefits etc, but to get these benefits certain rules and regulations must be followed and in case you do not come under the rules set by the FMLA then how to over come the loss of income?

What are the requirements of FMLA?

Incase you need the twelve weeks of unpaid leave you need to qualify for two things: a) you need to be a federal or state government employee or your company must have around 50-60 people working under them within a circumference of 75 miles, b) your working record should show that you have been working for the company for at least one year and that you have put in around 1,250 hours of work.

Having fulfilled these two major criteria you can get the benefits of FMLA but then if your employer proves that the company may face financial loss due to your absence then they have the authority to replace you with someone else and in the process may lose out of your present job position. Yet another thing is that if you and your spouse work in the same company then the company is entitled to give you both a combined leave of twelve weeks.

How to over come financial crisis?

Taking care of financial problems becomes difficult due to the twelve weeks of unpaid leave but then there are some options which help you to overcome such difficulties.

a) Accumulating leaves like sick leave, personal days or vacation leave etc which can be utilized for paid maternity leave.

b) Getting yourself insured for short term disability insurance will also help cover up for your pregnancy related problems as well as childbirth and knowing the rules and regulations for getting this benefit will be an added benefit as every state has its own set of rules.

c) Though the twelve week period is the best time where you create a bond with your baby it may not be medically necessary so you may need to find an alternate arrangement for your baby in case you need to resume work earlier.

d) Incase you don’t come under the FMLA guidelines then you may need to look out for a new job.

Right time to file an maternity leave application?

A maternity leave request at least a month in advance before the due date is necessary so that you have the time to prepare yourself for childbirth.

Prepare yourself to resume work:

Getting back to work after the leave period may be difficult but if you keep certain points in the mind it will help you out: hunt for a good day care centre for your baby, carrying photograph of your baby, being in touch with the day care centre during the day will help ease the pain of separation, breastfeeding your baby even when you resume work, exchanging views with other working mothers will help remove fear about your baby’s safety etc. Conclusion:

Be fully prepared by getting yourself insured for maternity disability, save up for your unpaid leave, know your rights before getting pregnant and finally approach your human resource department in case of work related problems.