Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

As Soon As Your Pregnancy Test Is Positive (During Your First Trimester):

• Research your eligibility for FMLA leave (use the flowchart provided in this book to assist you in this determination)
• Find out which state laws and regulations regarding maternity, medical and/or family leave apply to you and your employer.
• Check to see if your state-provided or employer-provided short-term disability applies to your recovery from childbirth – this would not grant you extra leave, but it would provide some payment for your leave.
• Don’t forget to check out your partner’s leave situation too!
• Assuming that there will be no pre-natal bed rest ordered during your pregnancy, go ahead and start thinking about how much time you want to take off when the baby is born and what financial planning will be necessary to accomplish that leave

When the Secret is Out (During Your Second Trimester):

• Tell your boss or supervisor about your pregnancy, letting her or him know that you hope to have a plan to discuss regarding your leave very shortly
• Talk with Human Resources, get copies of policies and any necessary leave and/or disability application forms (take a look at our chapter about arranging for maternity leave for some good questions to ask)
• Use the information you gathered from HR and from your first trimester research to put together a proposed plan for how to handle your absence from work; pitch it to the boss for thoughts and input
• Negotiate some extra time off, a flexible return schedule or a temporary work-from-home plan if you think it might work for you and for your company. You’ll have a better chance of getting approved if you don’t wait until the last minute to spring the idea on the boss.

On the Downhill Slide (During Your Third Trimester):

• Start implementing that transition plan you sold to the boss during your second trimester – and start early because babies don’t always arrive on their due dates!
• Talk with your boss and your IT department to decide how your emails will be handled in your absence – and decide who is going to activate that function if you don’t show up at work some morning because you’ve had a baby in the middle of the night.
• Make a final decision as to when your last day of work will be – some women are content to work up until they go into labor; others feel more organized if they set a “last day” date on the calendar prior to their due date

If you do all of this, then try to relax and feel confident that your work will be done while you’re gone. You’ve got better things to think about!