How long is maternity leave? While being pregnant and working as well, you are under pressure in this amazing yet worrisome time of your life. You are thinking to keep to your working desk. On the other hand, you and your loved ones are conscious about your health and the newbie in your belly. Well, a hard time to make a decision but not as demanding as you think. Follow a few tips and get a good go at your uncomplicated pregnancy and the postpartum period.
MATERNITY TIME – NOT A SINGLE FACTOR TO DETERMINE
How long is maternity leave? Your maternity time is vacation time for many. But for you, it is the time you work the most. However, carrying a baby in your womb and raising that little thing afterward is the toughest, cutest job ever.
To make the most of the nicer vacation, there are multiple things to consider. The effects of your life experiences, success, health, happiness, and income do project themselves on your baby’s life. So please take decisions wisely. Don’t put all the things in the same room. Look at your situation, your family demands, geography, and religion. In short, first things first.
Also Read: Are You Ready To Have a Baby?
HOW LONG IS MATERNITY LEAVE? LONG LEAVE OR SHORTER ONE?
Many moms can just rely on two days, others may need a whole year. Whether you need a fulltime vacation thing or can go for important delivery or postpartum days off, it depends on you! You decide for yourself, your about-to-be-born baby, and the situation you are living in.
Also Read: All Newly Married Women Should Discuss This With Their Partners!
QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF
To decide how long is maternity leave you need to ask yourself some questions.
WHAT ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR?
To answer this question, figure out
- Where do you live and work?
- How long is your job protective?
- Is your off time, paid or unpaid?
- How early you are expecting to return to your work?
- How early or late you are going to start your leave?
- Are you eligible for any benefits while you are off? And what criteria do you need to fulfill to become eligible?
- What are your partner’s rights in these matters?
- And how much time you should take off?
You need to read the government policies and the policies of your company to answer for “how long is maternity leave?” with privileges.
So, read the company’s policies or talk to an HR department professional, to get to any maternity leave schedule.
Also Read: Why Is It Healthier To Become Pregnant Before 30?
WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY’S CULTURE?
To decide about how long is maternity leave, there is a need to know about the company you work in. Most of the company choose their employees who can easily fit in their policies’ culture. So, if you want to work for them for longer periods you need not set boundaries.
For this, you should know
- How has the company treated pregnant women in the past?
- What is your take about them?
- What do the people that work with you say about them?
For this, speak to the people who work with you or, above your level. People share their experiences, their repercussions for the decisions they took, and advise you if they know about this issue well.
Also Read: Health Risks In First Pregnancy – A Detailed Analysis For New Mothers
WHAT IS THE “RIGHT TIME” FOR YOU?
The most considerable point to ponder for the “how long is maternity leave” issue is to decide about when to leave for your maternity vacation. For this, you need to check your finances and your partner’s eligibility. For how long can you leave your work? Or what will work for you?
Above all, being “the mom” is the toughest job one can have – and it is unpaid. Therefore, feel the fact that when you are happy and contented, only then you can be a caring and loving mama to your kids.
Take a long look. Everything you decide fortunately gets out of the window, once you meet your new baby. So, be flexible enough to meet your changing needs according to your baby’s wishes.
Also Read: How To Be A Good Mom?
STATUARY MATERNITY LEAVE
Different laws and policies of the world combine when it comes to making guidelines for ‘how long is the maternity leave’ topic. Statutory maternity leave law says that a pregnant woman can have 52 weeks holiday, in which the initial 26 weeks are called Ordinary Maternity Leave and the latter 26 weeks are Additional Maternity Leave.
IT STARTS
- When it is about almost 11 weeks to the delivery of your baby
- After the baby’s birth, if he is born earlier than his expected delivery
You are not supposed to take 52 weeks off, but make sure that you do take 2 weeks off after the delivery.
MATERNITY PAY?
To know about how long is maternity pay is important but to know about paid maternity leave is more important. In short, you can get your pay as well if you are eligible for it. To be eligible,
- You should earn £120 per week on average
- You have to be employed for 26 continuous weeks up to the qualifying week (15th week before the expected week of birth)
HOW MUCH?
- For the first 6 weeks, you can get 90% of average weekly earnings.
- In the next 33 weeks, you get £20 or 90% of weekly earnings, whichever is earlier.
- And in the last 13 weeks, you get no pay.
Also Read: How To Apply For Social Security Number For A Child?
POLICIES OF SOME COUNTRIES YOU SHOULD KNOW!
“How long is maternity leave?” is a hot debate to make. You will be surprised to know that the USA is the only developed country that doesn’t provide good maternity leave or financial assistance to new parents. BUREAU OF LABOUR STATISTICS says that only 11% of private company employees receive paid maternity leaves.
FAMILY and MEDICAL LEAVE ACT SAYS THAT
- On the federal level, you get 12 weeks of unpaid leave with job security but 40% of women do not even qualify for this unpaid leave.
- 12% of private-sector employees have access to any paid leave.
- 25% of women are forced to return to their work after 2 weeks of childbirth.
IN FRANCE
They get 16 weeks and a family allowance per month for the child’s expenses.
IN FINLAND
They get a maternity care package, clothes, items, etc. The government also provides daycare services until the age of 7.
Moreover, some countries provide paid paternal leave as well.
Also Read: How To Raise Your First Child?
DO YOU NEED A GOOD SUGGESTION?
Regardless of what government or your company says, or what your family and partner think, follow your heart. You can take the leave as early or late as you want. You can take your vacations at 37th to 39th week of pregnancy or walk straight into the labor room directly from work. But you also need to emphasize, given an option, to take maternity leave post-delivery. So, you get to spend a lot more time with your little angel.
Also Read: Why Ignoring the Emotional Needs of a Child Can Be Traumatic?
THE EXACT ANSWER TO HOW LONG IS MATERNITY LEAVE!
To sum up, there is no exact answer to this. The answer lies in all these factors that should be figured out. In the end, you will get an accurate answer to how long is maternity leave and an excellent vacation with your baby inside and then outside after delivery as well.