Anonymous wrote:OP I would feel comfortable using 3 weeks, leaving you with four weeks when you return.

I would also consider your goals in having DH home for four weeks at the end. If your goal is to delay when your DC starts childcare, I'd have him overlap for a week or so before you go back to work and then have him be home with the baby for three. I have seen with both myself and friends that going back to work knowing baby is home with family, be it dad or a grandparent, is a little easier. Plus, practically, you are not having to figure out getting the baby out to daycare at the same time you are going back to work. There's really no wrong way to do it but I think it's helpful to think about the "why" behind your decisions.

OP I would feel comfortable using 3 weeks, leaving you with four weeks when you return.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you accrue or get a lump sum on 1/1 or another date?

I would only save a week. It’s easier to take the hit of unpaid leave upon return to work than in week 11 of mat leave.

Accrue throughout the year, but going into the negative is not a problem. I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying regarding unpaid leave, can you elaborate? My company provides 16 weeks of mat leave so the plan is me home for 16 weeks+PTO, then DH home for the final 4 weeks, all of that would be paid.

Is your 16 weeks paid at full salary? Many employers do not pay full salary for maternity leave / disability.

Anonymous wrote:My company provides very generous PTO, 7 weeks/year. How much of this would you feel comfortable using during mat leave? I know I should leave a decent amount left over for stuff that pops up i.e. constantly getting sick (we'll use daycare beginning around 5 months give or take depending on how much PTO I take).

It really depends on so many things that only you know the answer to.
- Will you be on disability? For how long? What percent of your salary will you be earning?
- Are you using PTO to supplement the disability? If you don't supplement, will you be OK on a "lower" paycheck for that time?
- How much PTO can you carry over from year to year? Are you in danger of maxing out?

For me, I could either use PTO to supplement the disability to be at "full" salary (mat leave paid 67%) or skip the supplement. It meant I would either zero out or keep a balance since we were OK on my husband's salary with my disability "pay". I decided to keep a balance.

It’s hard to answer this without knowing how strict your employer is, OP.

For example, if I need to take a half day off to take DC to the dr or because they get sick at daycare, I catch-up on work in the evening or with longer hours the next day and don’t use leave. Similarly, if working from home and DC needs to be home the whole day, DH and I juggle taking care of them and doing what we can at work and catching up at other times. I realize that’s not an option at many jobs so can you provide more detail?

I've never been in this position exactly but it's a tough one. If this is your first baby, it might be hard to decide. You have decent (for the U.S.) maternity leave so you might prefer to go back at 16 weeks and have ample time to take off in the months following -- which is a lot better than having no time for sick days and vacations. Some people get tapped out during maternity leave and are itching to go back. Others really struggle to return to work and would benefit from delaying and/or going part time for a couple of months. Do you have to decide now?

Anonymous wrote:In the first year, there are tons of doctors appointments (well checks and sick stuff- they want to see you if you call for “minor” questions). Day care will have random days off or sick days. Depending on how strict your employer is, have some banked.

Yes, I know - looking for general guidance on how much!

In the first year, there are tons of doctors appointments (well checks and sick stuff- they want to see you if you call for “minor” questions). Day care will have random days off or sick days. Depending on how strict your employer is, have some banked.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will baby be going to daycare or a nanny after you return to work?
My first DD caught every single thing that was going around her first year of daycare. I used up nearly 4 weeks of leave (all I had left after maternity leave) dealing with that combined with recurring ear infections.
My second DD had a far healthier first year, even though she was also in daycare. I only missed 10 days with her.

Daycare. Did your husband use up 4 weeks as well or did you take all the days off?

No, minus maybe a day or two, that was all me.

The PTO goes fast the first year. If you have no actual trips or time off planned, I'd save 2 weeks for sick care. Add more if you actually want a vacation.

Anonymous wrote:Will baby be going to daycare or a nanny after you return to work?
My first DD caught every single thing that was going around her first year of daycare. I used up nearly 4 weeks of leave (all I had left after maternity leave) dealing with that combined with recurring ear infections.
My second DD had a far healthier first year, even though she was also in daycare. I only missed 10 days with her.

Daycare. Did your husband use up 4 weeks as well or did you take all the days off?

Will baby be going to daycare or a nanny after you return to work?
My first DD caught every single thing that was going around her first year of daycare. I used up nearly 4 weeks of leave (all I had left after maternity leave) dealing with that combined with recurring ear infections.
My second DD had a far healthier first year, even though she was also in daycare. I only missed 10 days with her.

Anonymous wrote:Do you accrue or get a lump sum on 1/1 or another date?

I would only save a week. It’s easier to take the hit of unpaid leave upon return to work than in week 11 of mat leave.

Accrue throughout the year, but going into the negative is not a problem. I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying regarding unpaid leave, can you elaborate? My company provides 16 weeks of mat leave so the plan is me home for 16 weeks+PTO, then DH home for the final 4 weeks, all of that would be paid.

Do you accrue or get a lump sum on 1/1 or another date?

I would only save a week. It’s easier to take the hit of unpaid leave upon return to work than in week 11 of mat leave.

My company provides very generous PTO, 7 weeks/year. How much of this would you feel comfortable using during mat leave? I know I should leave a decent amount left over for stuff that pops up i.e. constantly getting sick (we'll use daycare beginning around 5 months give or take depending on how much PTO I take).