Maternity leave Canada vs. USA

[T.O_2_FL 0]

So my friend back home is about to go on Maternity leave and we were talking about how nice it is to have the 12 month time period to heal as well as being with your newborn.

From what I have found on the U.S. side is that Maternity leave is typically 12 weeks (3 months) unpaid leave. Do I have this right?

Seems a little daunting compared to what's back home....

[SapphireDreams 71]

I think it depends on the company in the U.S. as well, I know some will give you only as much as 6-8 weeks. I'm not sure if there is a legal standard amount of time that they have to promise you your job back.

Some companies might offer you parental leave too, but again I think it all depends.

I don't think you collect EI (or equivalent) in teh U.S. either, which you do in Canada.

We have it very very good in Canada. This is the one thing I'm really dreading. I hope I'm at a point in my career where I can afford to a) quit and stay at home for a bit and B) afford to do that.

[T.O_2_FL 0]

I read somewhere along the lines that in Sweden they have the best Maternity Leave....1 year at 100%!!! plus mandatory 3 weeks prior to due date you must take off...paternal leave that's paid....they are very supportive of people having time to recoup and all about families....

I will definitely miss the Maternity Leave part of Canada.....I don't know what will happen when the day comes but it seems very soon to leave your little one with someone when they are only a few months old....

[anxiouslywaiting 0]

The US is very behind Canada with respect to maternity leave. This is one thing I am going to have a real hard time wtih. My fiance and I have already discussed in great deal so I think what we are going to do is once I find a job we are going to try to live off just his income and put my income aside for when I have to go off on maternity leave!

[Penguin_ie 5,988]

One of the reasons my USC husband came over here when we got married is maternity benefits- I was off work before the birth for 9 weeks on full pay, then get 26 weeks fully paid maternity leave and another 16 weeks unpaid if I want it.

[T.O_2_FL 0]

One of the reasons my USC husband came over here when we got married is maternity benefits- I was off work before the birth for 9 weeks on full pay, then get 26 weeks fully paid maternity leave and another 16 weeks unpaid if I want it.

Are you in Switzerland?

That's a nice Maternity Leave....

[Penguin_ie 5,988]

No, we are in Ireland.

[Reba 2]

(federally mandated) Materinity leave in the US is 6 weeks, unpaid. Some companies may also allow you FMLA (family medial leave act) leave up to 3 months (again, unpaid, but you still have a job of some sort). That's it. I honestly don't know how they do it. Not that I'd ever need it myself (over 40 and infertile anyway) but sheesh, its barbaric.

[T.O_2_FL 0]

Are there Day Care facilities in the U.S. that take in infants at 3 months?

[SapphireDreams 71]

Are there Day Care facilities in the U.S. that take in infants at 3 months?

Yes I believe so.

[T.O_2_FL 0]

No, we are in Ireland.

Awe that is really refreshing to see that countries care about the Moms....

Are there Day Care facilities in the U.S. that take in infants at 3 months?

Yes I believe so.

Wow...that just seems strange to me because I don't think I've ever seen young infants like that left to Day Cares......this is definitely a big adjustment when the day comes when we have kids....

Any VJ Moms here who came from Canada to the U.S. and took Mat leave? I'm interested to hear what you thought of things...

[KarenCee 3]

There are daycare facilities that will take them as young as 6 weeks. sigh....I do wish the U.S. was more liberal with maternity and family care than they are. I remember when my twin sons died (stillborn, still had to go through labour) I was allowed only TWO weeks to be at home. The administrator of the school where I was working at the time thought that was gracious plenty and that my job was too critical for me to have more than that, since....she left the rest of that sentence unfinished.

I resigned from that position when the school year ended.

[Reba 2]

yeah, for a country who pays so much lip service to family values and importance of a nuclear family, in practice, they really don't seem to give 2 shits do they?

(((hugs))) to Karen

[Krikit 1,163]

Oh my GOD, Karen. That's horrible. You would have been treated so differently in Canada. I am so sorry you had to go through all that.

As for me..... when I was having kids it was like the US is now.... only 6 weeks off. So I guess you could say they're at least 30 years behind the rest of the developed nations in that aspect.

[CBR 0]

Yes it really is disgusting that the US doesn't value the necessary bonding between newborns & their mothers. I shudder to think what the long term effects are going to be on a generation that is stuck in daycare at 6 weeks old (often full-time too) and never gets to bond with their family like they should. It truly scares me.

I actually see more emphasis on career development in the US than in Canada and not much on family values here (unless you want to call sticking to a rigid schedule of organized sports/activities & not really spending any time with your kids, family values.) It sucks! And the way things are most families here can't afford to take that time off with their little ones. Call me old fashioned, but I think kids should be with their moms until they're at the very least 3-5 years old. I learned in psychology classes that this early time is critical to forming the child's values & morals and sense of security.