When did you take off for maternity leave?

TweetiePieRN · Sep 1, 2005

I was working full time on an inpatient onc unit and worked until I was 38 weeks. Of course, the little one decided to be 2 weeks late, so I sat home for a month and waited to have a baby. I was ready to go back to work after a while! I thought I would be pregnant forever!
Working that long was pretty hard for me, as I was HUGE. You also have to think about what your union contract allows you and how long you want to stay home afterwards. My leave started from when I stayed home, not when I had the baby, so if you want to take full advantage of your leave, it may be in your best interest to stay at work as long as possible.
-Julie in NYC

With our leave policy (Calif law and union contract taken in account), you can leave 4 weeks before the due date and get paid. Then you get 6-8 weeks postpartum off and you get paid as well. Then you can take an additional 12 weeks off, but only get paid for 6 of THOSE weeks.

The bummer is....if you leave 4 weeks before the due date and the baby is born early, this does not extend your leave. Or if you work until 1 week before the due date, it also doesn't extend your leave. So, I opted to leave the 4 weeks before the due date. My baby ended up being 2 weeks late so I got paid for the entire 6 weeks prebaby and the 8 weeks postpartum, and I just started the 12 week final stretch which I get paid the first 6 weeks of.

I guess every state/union is different?

grace90, LPN, LVN · Sep 1, 2005

With my oldest, I stopped working as an aide at 35 weeks. It was at a nursing home and there was a LOT of heavy lifting which really did a number on my back. By the 33rd week or so a lot of the aides would do my heaviest lifting for me. I had planned it that way ahead of time since it was right before my anniversary and I'd be able to have that off. It turned out to be a good thing since I fell and broke my finger :crying2: ( split it open, you could see the torn tendons, dislocated and broke in 2 places :uhoh3: ) on our anniversary. That would have made it harder to work since I had a splint on it and 3 stitches. :uhoh21:

After he was born I quit that job and stayed home for 15 months. During that time, my 2nd child was born (they're 13.5 months apart). I went back to work when she was 8 weeks old due to a business we tried to start that flopped. Otherwise I would have stayed home way longer.

Then when I got pregnant with our 3rd child, I worked until 37 weeks. I was still an aide then and mostly got assigned to the Alzheimer's unit where everybody was a walkie-talkie and I didn't have to lift as much. I only took 5 weeks off after she was born. Looking back, I wish I had taken more like 2 or 3 months off, but I went back to work early because one of our vehicles needed some major work that was gonna cost a lot. :uhoh21:

gr8rnpjt, RN · Sep 1, 2005

If you have the luxury of taking 6 months to a year off before going back to work, then it should not matter if you take off a month or two early. if yours is the second income, then by all means, take the holidays off, for goodness sake! Make all your coworkers jealous, and enjoy the time off!!

By the way, I took off when I became pregnant with my first child in my third month. (very bad morning sickness). I worked part time during my third pregnancy and worked up to the day before I delivered (not planned) I took off 12 weeks and came back part time. For my 4th pregnancy, I was the primary breadwinner, so I worked full time up until 2 days before I delivered. worked friday delivered Sunday. Went back to work full time after taking 12 weeks off, let DH play Mr Mom for the last 3 years.

By the way, I did not get any pats on the back for working up till I delivered, so if you can afford it, take the holidays off and enjoy it!

allnurses Guide · Sep 2, 2005

Take the holidays and enjoy. I worked up to the end, with my 2nd I worked Sat/Sun 12 hour nights, delivered the next Sat. I had spent Thursday night in false labor before my last shifts, then worked them anyway. I told everyone to give me the heavy patients, I was tired of being pregnant and ready to be induced by hard work! They wouldn't even give me enough time to push myself out of my chair to go answer lights, which kind of clued me in: medsurg nurses don't want to deliver coworkers' babies :rotfl: I took off after that night, much to their relief. :chuckle

tmhon · Sep 2, 2005

hello,everyone..I am a newly graduate of nursing here in phillippines.And i have a plaN to go california in most easy way,cause i havent any money to take Nclex and CGFNS..I need your advice for me to my problem.tnx

Neilsbiggestfan · Sep 2, 2005

Hi everyone. I haven't posted in a while and am now pregnant with my 3rd child. I was wondering when most people take off for maternity leave. Is it 4 or 6 weeks before, or should I try to wait until I am due. I never worked during my last pregnancies, so I feel this baby is being cheated by me working so hard. I do plan on taking anywhere from 6 month to a year off before coming back to work. Also I am due Jan 4th and would like to enjoy the holidays without working.
Let me know what you all think, and what you think is too soon to stop working.
Tara
L & D Nurse

When I had my last child, I worked up until the night she was born. I worked the 3-11 shift at a LTC facility and in the evenings when things would quiet down I would sit in an office chair and roll myself up and down the halls to check on patients.

I went home one night and went right to bed at about 12. My water broke at 2AM. Got to the hospital by 3 and Emily was born at 5:30AM May 10, 2001. I took the rest of the summer off so I could enjoy being with my child.

Nurse Valium · Sep 2, 2005

I finished my last scheduled shift at 6am on a Friday & regular contractions began at noon that day. Of course, I did have a preceptee who was very sharp & in the last 2 weeks of her orientation so I did little those last few weeks!!

TweetiePieRN · Sep 2, 2005

hello,everyone..I am a newly graduate of nursing here in phillippines.And i have a plaN to go california in most easy way,cause i havent any money to take Nclex and CGFNS..I need your advice for me to my problem.tnx

You might want to post this message in a chat where someone can help you. We are discussing Maternity leave here.

mommatrauma, RN · Sep 2, 2005

My plan was to work as close as possible to my due date, that was thwarted to a point and intensified as I work overnight and came home from work and went into labor...at 34 1/2 weeks...so I never got to see the due date...

whipping girl in 07, RN · Sep 4, 2005

Plantar faciaitis forced me to take off two weeks earlier than I had planned and I went back to work for financial reasons when Gracie was 8 weeks old. If I could have, I'd still be home with her and she's 15 months old.

Make your last day the Friday before Thanksgiving.

MaraG. · Sep 5, 2005

Wow, things are different in BC, Canada. I have not had any children yet, but many of my friends have. You are entitled to 12 months off of work at 60% of your icome the 30 days prior to your leave. If however, you can't work due to medical reasons you get 6 weeks medical leave pay at the same rate as the Mat. leave rate. Once the baby is born you start your Mat. leave. Your job is protected and you get to stay at home with your new one! If you want to go back to work you can and your partner can take what ever the remainder of your Mat. leave is.

Like I said I have not had any babies yet so I am not sure if this is exactly right or not but it allows for a lot of time to stay at home with your new one!

NannaNurse · Sep 5, 2005

I worked right up until "D-day". Of course I was considered 'light-duty'. My girls did the same thing........worked up until delivery. All 3 are in the medical field and 1 was at the hospital........wrong one tho'.........when her water broke. They did drive her to the other hospital about 10 minutes away.

If you can work........great!

If you can't.............great!

Do whatever YOU think is best for you and your precious little one. God Bless You and keep us posted!!!! :balloons: