stuffs & such about maternity leave
Not counting today, I have 5 work days left until Mat. Leave.
5 days! That is blowing my mind.
My company is incredible….
and incredibly generous when it comes to paid parental leaves.
For fathers. For same-sex couples who adopt. And especially for new mamas.
As a mother-to-be, I get to enjoy 4 weeks off of work pre-baby (!) and nearly 5 months of leave after her arrival.
As if the time isn’t enough, they also gift new parents “baby-bonding bucks.” It’s like a little bonus to be used for take-out, cleaning-service…
basically anything to make your life a little easier those hectic first few weeks.
I don’t say any of this to brag.
Actually -strike that. My employer deserves to be bragged about. Given the fact that there are only three countries in the world without guaranteed paid leaves for new mothers (Papua New Guinea & Swaziland & The UNITED FREAKING STATES OF AMERICA), I think companies who do the right thing deserved to be wildly celebrated by their employees.
It makes a difference. Thanks to the ample time I had off after Hazel arrived, I was (physically/emotionally/mentally) ready to return to work…and able to kick butt once doing so. The generous leave my company provided enabled me to commit to my career in a way that I would have not been able to do if I had to be back at my desk just 6, 8, 12 weeks post-partum.
This time around, I fully intend to enjoy every second of my leave (again)
And when it is time to head back to work in Feb….I look forward to returning as a high performing, enthusiastic employee who knows that while my company asks for so much from its workers, they GIVE so much in return.
Also, because some of you have asked:
What is our plan for our Nanny while I am on leave?
Here’s the thing(s)….I love her. Hazel loves her. Our Nanny has enabled me to be a working mom who can focus entirely while at the office and return home to a happy baby and peaceful house. I can’t risk losing that…so asking her to take 6 months off (and hope that she will be available when we need her again next year) is just not really an option - so we will keep her employed.
However, when at home with my kiddos, I don’t necessarily want full-time outside help (that is not to say I don’t love being around our nanny…it’s just that I want to take full advantage of the time I have off with my girls), so I have a feeling we will be letting our Nanny come late/leave early most days.
It’s sort of like we both get to enjoy a paid leave!
Finally,
I just signed Hazel up for a mommy & me music class for the fall.
Ah, Hazel gets to go to school!!! I get to tag-along!!!
Did someone say finger cymbals?!
(Look at me taking advantage of this stay-at-home-mom stint.)
Bring on this next adventure.
Mad love & a Baby on each hip,
em
