Week 14 & Week 15

The last couple of weeks have flown by. Nothing new to report but I am loving trimester two! My belly is getting a little more prominent. I need to go and get maternity pants. I can fit into my regular pants in the morning but after lunch I have to pop open a button or two. It’s not very attractive. It reminded me of an old manager I had who used to unzip her skirt and walk around. Unfortunately a few of us had seen her in her frumpy state. So the idea of someone thinking of me like I did of that manager scares me. 

I have been thinking a lot about my maternity leave. I will only get 6 weeks if the delivery is normal and 8 if it’s a C-section. Is 6 weeks really enough? To me that seems like days. If it were up to me, I would stay home for at least 16 weeks. The idea of leaving a new born at home after 6 weeks is crazy. That got me thinking - what do women around the world get. I have heard of some parts in Europe getting up to a year. Why, if that’s really the case, I’m packing my bags tonight and moving to Europe. I’ll come back when the baby is 13 months!

Maternity Leave Around the World

• Australia - Leave is unpaid, although employers may offer plans
• Canada - Birth mothers qualify for 15 weeks of paid maternity benefits (plus a 2 week unpaid waiting period; Parents qualify for 35 weeks of paid parental benefits
• France - Birth mothers qualify for 6 weeks of paid maternity benefits before giving birth and 10 weeks after, or 8 weeks before and 18 weeks after if it’s your 3rd or subsequent child
• Germany - Birth mothers qualify for 6 weeks of paid maternity benefits before the birth and 8 weeks after
• India - Birth mothers qualify for 12 weeks of paid maternity benefits which may start up to 6 weeks before the birth
• Ireland - Mothers qualify for 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, 2 weeks of which must be claimed before the birth
• Netherlands - Mothers qualify for 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, 4-6 weeks of which is claimed before the birth
• New Zealand - Parents receive 14 weeks of paid leave, 6 weeks of which may be taken before the birth. They are also entitled to 38 additional weeks of unpaid leave
• Norway - Parents receive 44 or 54 weeks of paid leave, depending on the plan they choose, and will receive longer leaves for multiple births
• South Africa - Mothers qualify for 4 months paid maternity leave, which can start up to 4 weeks before delivery
• Sweden - Parents each receive 240 days (about 8 months) of paid leave, and will receive longer leaves for multiple births
• UK - Mothers qualify for 52 weeks of maternity leave
• US - Leave is unpaid, although employers may offer plans. Employees may receive 12 weeks of job protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

The US needs to consider its policy on maternity leave. Most of these countries the leave is paid by the federal government or the employer. Australia and the US are the two countries on this list that the leave is NOT required to be a paid leave. Most employers offer it but they don’t have to.  Sigh.

On a happier note – I went to one of my besties baby shower this weekend. She is about 3-4 weeks ahead of me. She lives in Cali, so she had a NJ shower and will later have a Cali shower. Here’s a quick photo of the three preggos at the shower. Sara is expecting exactly a week before me. (side note: where is my neck?)

Sara (left), Prash (center), yours truly (right)

What country would you move to if you were preggo?? Yes, you. I know you're reading this.