If you're working a Mom, you've undoubtedly thought about maternity leave and possibly even considered paternity leave as well. Technically speaking, the term maternity leave refers to the 6 – 8 week period an employee is entitled to take after she gives birth and pregnancy is considered to be a "short-term disability". As a general guideline, it is stipulated in the Family and Medical Leave Act that if your company employs more than 50 workers, you should be able to return to either your old job or an equivalent one after three months of unpaid leave after the birth of your baby.
However, how the particulars are handled vary significantly from firm to firm. For example, depending on your company's policy, maternity leave may be paid or unpaid and classified as vacation, personal or sick days or some combination of each.
HerTip: The sooner you tell your employer you're pregnant the better. It will be far easier for you to negotiate a reasonable leave agreement.
More and more couples are choosing to exercise their rights to paternity leave as well. In these cases too, policies vary greatly from company to company so your partner will have to talk to the human resources department if interested.
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Part IX: Tax
Budgeting