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| If you have vacation time or paid sick leave accrued, you might want to (or be required to) factor this into your maternity leave. This is also a good time to check your health insurance and see what it covers in terms of prenatal care, delivery, and time spent in the hospital. |
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If your company offers disability insurance to its employees, or your state has applicable disability coverage, it also benefits you as an expectant mother. So there are several sources of coverage you'll want to look into. You can research some of this information on the Internet by typing "maternity leave" into your search engine, or you can contact your national or state labor office. But first, turn to your employee handbook and see what your company's maternity leave policy is. In the U.S., family-friendly companies offer from 3 to 12 weeks paid maternity leave, often depending on how much time you've spent with the company. Other companies offer unpaid maternity leave, but as mentioned earlier, some offer the option of disability pay while you're out. Of course, you may find that your company has no maternity leave policy at all, or that it's unrealistic. In this case, you may want to do further research and be the pioneer who helps your company establish a family-friendly policy. To do this, research what similar companies offer. Also talk to friends and associates who've taken maternity leave to see what they received and find out about their experiences. Don't hesitate to ask for advice.
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Research maternity leave policies
