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June 21, 2008

Don't forget to vote in the maternity leave poll

Remember, you have until 9 p.m. tomorrow to vote in the Guilty-Mom poll on how close to her due date an expecting mom should start her maternity leave.

So far, votes are running in favor of working right up to the due date if you're feeling well, which surprises me a little. And one question I didn't ask was whether, in this era of so many scheduled inductions, the idea of planned delivery dates enters into your thinking about this.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:53 PM | | Comments (4)
Categories: Guilty-Mom polls
        

Comments

If you are able to work up until your due date, then you have more leave time to spend with the baby once it's born.

I agree with Maureen: yeah, it would be nice to have some time to relax before childbirth, but I certainly wouldn't put a higher priority on that over spending time with my newborn child. I had YEARS to relax, now I want to have a baby. I am actually shocked that mothers-to-be would trade two weeks at home with their newborn for a couple of weeks to "relax" before childbirth.

This, of course, assumes that the pregnancy is going well -- oviously, if you are in a lot of discomfort or the doctor recommends bedrest, that's a different situation.

In terms of being induced, I was two weeks late for my first child, so on Thursday we scheduled an induction for the following Monday. So in my mind, I was going to deliver on Monday -- it was scheduled, right? When my water broke on Friday, I was actually surprised to go into labor, and my husband claims I am the only woman who was 9 1/2 month pregnant to be surprised about going into labor! :-) But I worked right up through my due date, to the Friday that I actually delivered.

I agree. I worked until the day before my inductions were scheduled. I never have babies on my own, felt great and didn't want to waste any of my leave prior to having my baby. If we could have afforded it then sure! I would have also taken off 6 months afterwards too instead of just 8 weeks.

It would be nice to be able to take off early, but in the USA we don't get good benefits like most other places in the world-12 weeks max for leave of absence. That is ridiculous! I think that the UK, Canada, and France have 1 year leave of absence. So most people work to the very end, just so they they can get their minimum of 6 weeks and maximum of 12 weeks off.

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About Kate Shatzkin
Kate Shatzkin is the parenting and families content editor at The Baltimore Sun and, before that, was its family beat reporter. But her most challenging and rewarding job is being mother to Leah, 8, and Sam, 6.

In her 14 years at The Baltimore Sun, Kate also has covered nonprofit organizations, prisons and courts, and has written several investigative series. She was previously a Knight journalism fellow at Yale Law School and a reporter at the Seattle Times and at the Patriot-Ledger of Quincy, Mass. She lives in Baltimore with her family.

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