What You Should Know About Maternity Leave in the USA

Half a century ago, new mothers resuming their jobs while leaving their children in the care of others was mostly unheard of. Traditionally, the father was the one who worked outside the home and was the breadwinner while the mother stayed at home to care for the kids. However, many women of today find that staying at home with their baby is far more difficult that it was decades ago when the income of one spouse was usually enough for providing a comfortable living. Nowadays, two incomes are usually required just to keep things afloat. Another reason for going back to work is that many women do not want to give up their careers after starting a family.

Maternity leave is a common option available to new mothers who want or need to keep their full-time jobs. Although not a long term solution, it is helpful for a couple of reasons. Bonding between mother and child during the first few weeks after birth is necessary for the baby's healthy mental and physical development and for the mother's recovery.

What should you know about maternity leave in the United States? First and foremost, there is no federal law which guarantees paid maternity leave. This makes it difficult for mothers to stay at home without worrying about monthly bills.

According to a federal law, the Family & Medical Leave Act, women are guaranteed up to twelve weeks of maternity leave. This law is in place to allow mothers to enjoy time off from work without worrying about the loss of their jobs. Another federal law states that it is illegal to fire or refuse to employ a woman because she is pregnant or to terminate her because of maternity leave.

Unfortunately for some women, the FMLA law only applies to businesses with more than fifty employees. Furthermore, you must have worked for the same company for a minimum of one year and for at least 1250 hours. This means that if you haven't had the same job for at least one year or only worked part-time, you cannot be guaranteed maternity leave. Even women who are eligible often can't afford to take twelve weeks off from work.

So, what options are open to you? If you are determined to stay at home with your baby, working from home may be possible. Your company may allow telecommuting. If not, you may want to look into other career paths that do allow you to work at home, such as medical transcription. You may try doing an online search for such jobs. Some of the common freelance jobs that allow you to make money at home using your computer with an internet connection include writing articles, editing, proofreading, website design, graphic design, illustration, etc. The great thing about our computer age is that more mothers than ever before in history can now make money while staying at home with their babies.