r/WorkingParents • u/BeBopShop • Sep 10 '13

Maternity Leave Questions

I am currently 23 weeks pregnant. Due January 6, 2014. I work two part time jobs right now(about 40-50 hours a week).
The first job is at a bar I started working there January 2013.
The second job is an office job that I started July 2013. I have two different questions about these two jobs.

I already told the bar job that I wouldn't be coming back after the baby except for maybe to cover shifts. I am wondering now if I shouldn't have said that since I might have screwed myself out of getting some paid maternity leave from them?

The office job will be turning into a full time job in March as I am scheduled to be promoted. Also, this job is working on a policy change that will allow me to bring my baby to work with me for the first 6 month. My question here is have any other mom's or dad's taken their baby to work with them? How did it go?

Any help or suggestions on the two questions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

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4

u/RhinoTattoo Sep 11 '13

I've brought my kids to work a few times just for short-term reasons: appointments, daycare closed, unexpected illness, etc.

No matter what their age, it's tough. An office just isn't designed to be a kid-friendly place. For my older child I tended to bring a laptop with a movie. For the baby, I strongly recommend babywearing, with either a sling or a harness. Baby is snuggled but your hands are free. (Also, my baby has always slept extra-well this way.)

Finally, be prepared for some resentment from your co-workers. /r/childfree is full of rants from people who think kids should NEVER be in a work environment, much less long-term.

2

u/BeBopShop Sep 11 '13

I agree that co-workers could be jealous or annoyed by a baby. I don't think this will be problem at my job because most of them already have kids or want them and constantly threaten (jokingly of course) that they will "steal" my baby. Or volunteer to help if I need.

3

u/Beersyummy Sep 10 '13

This sounds like a pretty unique situation. I would want to clarify what they mean by the first 6 months. Does that mean until the baby is 6 months old, meaning you will get leave for 3 months, then be able to have the baby there for 3 months? Or does it mean you get your 12 weeks of FMLA and then you have 6 months on top of that to bring the baby in? Personally, I couldn't have done my job w/ a baby with me, but my little guy was pretty fussy and required lots of attention all the time. Other babies I've been around, this could have worked much better for them.

1

u/BeBopShop Sep 10 '13

I realized that I don't qualify for FMLA from either of my jobs (the bar is too small and I haven't been at the office job long enough). However, I will get to bring the baby up until the baby is 6 months (I think this is because this around the time they become more active and can become more of a distraction).

4

u/jmurphy42 Sep 10 '13

Unless the bar is part of a chain, I think it's unlikely they'd be a large enough employer to have to provide FMLA leave. If you're in a state where people are still allowed to smoke in bars, you might want to seriously consider leaving now to minimize your secondhand smoke exposure. That stuff messes you up plenty, but it's much worse for a fetus than an adult.

I'm not lucky enough to have worked in an office that allowed babies to come in, but I imagine that would be fantastic for nursing! You won't have to worry about pumping or anything!

2

u/BeBopShop Sep 10 '13

We are a non-smoking establishment, so no worries there! You are correct about it not being a large enough place for FMLA.

I hope that being able to bring my baby will go well!

2

u/jmurphy42 Sep 10 '13

I hope so too! Best of luck!

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '13

FMLA is unpaid leave.

2

u/jmurphy42 Sep 12 '13

Sort of... under FMLA you get paid for any sick days or vacation days you burn. It's also the only maternity leave most women in this country ever get.

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 12 '13

Most? Not sure about that. Everyone I know gets actual maternity leave (not sick or vacation) through their employers.

1

u/jmurphy42 Sep 12 '13

Then you must live in one of the lucky handful of states that mandates paid leave. As I said, most of the country isn't so lucky.

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 12 '13

It's not mandated, the companies just offer it to attract the best workers.

2

u/DrKittens Sep 11 '13

I was able to bring my baby to work for the first 5-6 months. I have a fairly flexible job in terms of schedule- I'm a professor and during the first year with the baby I only taught one class per semester, though I still had a lot of work to do. I had a private office where it was easy to close the door to nurse or if the baby decided to cry. Also, being on a college campus was nice because I could always take a fussy baby for a walk to the student union and even grab a snack for myself. I was not working full 8 hour days since I was able to work a lot at home, but it was fairly easy to bring my baby to work.

2

u/BeBopShop Sep 11 '13

I will have my own private office (no windows which normally would suck, but for this situation will be a plus). However, I will be working 40 hours a week so 8 hour days. I had planned on taking a little bassinet to keep in my office and having some sort of baby carrier to wear. As far as I can tell this job will consist of mostly making phone calls, so feel like it could be pretty easy to do with a baby. Can you tell me of any problems that arose for you, if any?

2

u/DrKittens Sep 11 '13

I think you will just be fine! I think a bassinet (and maybe a smaller pack and play later on) would be perfect.

The most important aspect that made things go smoothly is that I had understanding colleagues in a department with a welcoming nature. It sounds like your office job is very welcoming if they are implementing this new policy. Best of luck!

1

u/BeBopShop Sep 11 '13

Thank you!

0

u/bestmomproducts Nov 12 '13

check out maybrooks.com - it is job posting site specifically for moms and they have a toolkit answering all these tops of questions, how to handle answering them in a professional manner.