Maternity Leave
By Catherine G

You may know the second you realize you are pregnant that your plan has always been to stay home with your children. Great for you! Some others may know that they will definitely return to work after the baby is born or you could be undecided. Either way, it is best to plan early.

The first step is to do some research. If you have not told your employer about your pregnancy yet, you can still dust off your employee manual and see how your company handles maternity leave. Once you have made the official announcement you can schedule an appointment with the Human Resources Department and get all of your questions answered. Some companies will offer 6-12 weeks of paid maternity leave, usually at a percentage of your salary (anywhere from 50%-80%). However, companies are not required to pay you for the time you are off work.


Most importantly, do some planning. Think about how your family will handle the decrease in income during your maternity leave. Start a savings account immediately to save up for the expenses of having a child and the money needed to offset your lack of income for those few weeks.

Look at alternatives. Maybe you can save your vacation or sick leave to use to offset part

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of your maternity leave. You will want to discuss this option with your employer to see how they handle this type of situation.

Remember to keep your options open. If you have not decided if you will return to work or not, don't communicate this to your employer until you are sure. You will want to plan as though you will be returning until you have decided that you will not be.

There is no right or wrong decisions in planning maternity leave. Some mothers return to work after a couple of weeks while others wait months or never return. The key is to find the best option for you and your family.

By: Catherine G

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Catherine is a mother of three and staff writer/blogger at LikeThatName.com. LikeThatName provides a fast and fun way to discover thousands of interesting baby names, along with a supportive community and information for new parents. To read the latest articles and join our community, visit us online today!