I don't have a ton of real life friends who are working moms. So I feel like I don't have a real life audience for my thoughts and worries and good news related to both working and parenting. The people I've met through this blog are so special. You all give me that community that I can't seem to find in real life. So, blogs are awesome. And thank you so much.
When I was planing my maternity leave, I was told that I had 12 weeks of FMLA time (unpaid). On top of that, my employer also allowed me to have 6-8 weeks of disability leave (unpaid). So I planned to take four months off. This was the plan up until two days ago, when the HR department sent me a letter telling me that if I did not return to work next month, I wouldn't get any medical benefits. Yeah...this would have been nice to know three months ago! So instead of having five more weeks at home, I now have just one more week. This was almost soul-crushing news.
I have one week. AHHH. My baby is only three months old! I'm so not ready to leave him. I'm so not ready to put my very last maternity leave behind me. This is especially true considering that this maternity leave has been particularly difficult: Jon had one entire month of non-stop colic (pure torture), Ryan has been a particularly difficult two year old, the weather has mostly been too blah to take the kids outside, and I've been way too exhausted to plan fun activities. Now I have just one more week to soak it all in and mentally and psychologically prepare for going back to work?!
The biggest upside to going back to work is that I have a brand new position. The day Jon was born, I was officially given a permanent position with my employer.
But after the dust settles and work starts to feel like real life and not just a temporary adventure away from the house, I'm going to be really sad about leaving my last and final baby every morning. The sadness is just too much to think about.
One week is just not enough.
Oh man! that Sucks. No doubt about the "things it would have been nice to know" category. You're handling it like a champ though.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, that's rough to have things changed on you on such short notice. Stupid HR department! Is your family on medical benefits through your job rather than husband's I take it?
ReplyDeleteBut on the upside, your new job sounds like a perfect fit for you, not to mention the increase in pay and bigger office - congrats! Having a job you enjoy and where you are valued makes leaving your little one much easier. I went back to work right when my daughter was 12 weeks and was also diving into a new position at the time and it all went fine.
I also work in the public sector and was not eligible for benefits after my FMLA ran out. But you have a couple of options. (1) Can you go on your husband's plan for a little while? (2) Can you go COBRA? COBRA is really expensive, but the nice thing is you usually have 60 days to pay and then it's retroactive to the date you were cut off. So I got in all my doctor's appointments before I was cut off, filled out the COBRA paperwork, and told my husband that if I was hit by a bus he needed to mail it in immediately. Fortunately we had no unexpected medical needs during the time I was technically on COBRA so I never had to pay. That's how I was able to take a 5 month maternity leave even though my benefits ran out after 3. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYay for the promotion, but that is terrible that they yanked away a month of maternity leave with no notice! If your boss was okay with you taking disability, would it be possible for you to go back to work for a little while, then take additional leave?
ReplyDeleteThat really sucks - with maternity leave, it's all about the mental preparation to go back to work. Maybe you can take Jon in to work with you some of the time? It's really not as bad as you imagine! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a bummer on the one hand, but also an abundance of good stuff on the other. New, awesome, handsome baby (seriously, you and your husband make such handsome little babes). The permanent job offer (so happy for you). I can't even imagine how tough it is to start back up after maternity leave, but it's great that you're going back to a job you will really love. Good luck :)
ReplyDeleteShort notices are really exhausting, especially in a situation where you have to work, even though your condition is not yet ready for it. At least your boss is very considerate and understood your ordeal. What's even better is that you got a new and permanent position. It seems that good htings are realy going on for you. Hahaha! Congratulations, CP! All the best to you!
ReplyDeleteSabrina Craig @ Medical Attorney