The Ultimate Maternity Leave Roadmap to Keep Your Career on Track

If you’ve found your way here, it’s probably time to start thinking about your maternity leave.

So we created the ultimate maternity leave roadmap, to answer your most pressing questions and give you the confidence to plan your leave like a boss (or at least with the smiling approval of your boss).

By the time you finish reading this article, and the linked resources we’ve created for you, you’ll know the answer to all the following questions:

• What is maternity leave and why does it matter?
• How do you tell your employer you’re pregnant?
• What about requesting workplace accommodations?
• What are your rights for leave as a pregnant employee?
• How do you compensate income during unpaid maternity leave?
• How do you write a maternity leave request letter?
• How do you create a maternity leave plan your boss will love?

We’ve also thrown in some insider tips and reminders to keep yourself informed and prepared for all the curveballs involved in planning for maternity leave.

But first, if you think you already know what maternity leave is, I want to give you a better definition of what maternity leave should be.

What is maternity leave and why does it matter?

Most people would define maternity leave as the time a pregnant woman takes off work to give birth to her child and take care of her newborn. And they wouldn’t be wrong—they’ve just forgotten to include a few important things.

At its core, maternity leave is a time of transformation. You leave your workplace still awaiting the arrival of your child and the new demands of motherhood. Weeks or months later, you’ll come back completely changed, because your life has changed.

• Maternity leave should be a protected space and time for you to bond with your newborn (soaking up precious baby cuddles) as you transition into the role of new motherhood.
• It should be a time for you to fully rest and recover from childbirth, which will continue to affect your body in the weeks and months after birth.
• Your leave should give you the space to create new routines and be open to the changes happening in you and in your family, without the added stresses of the workplace.
• And even amidst the normal fears of new motherhood, it should be a time to enjoy the present moment, the genuine support of intimate community, and new beginnings.

Quality maternity leave is good for you and your employer

We know that women who are given quality, paid maternity leave with the attributes above are healthier postpartum. It’s been linked to reduced postpartum depression, better mother-infant bonding, decreased infant mortality, and even better breastfeeding outcomes.^{3 (Eurekalert)} We also know they face a smoother and less stressful reentry into the workforce.

This is the future we want for you. And if your employer is smart about the long-term success of their company and the well-being of their employees, they’ll want it for you too.

How do you tell your employer you’re pregnant?

But before you can really begin planning your maternity leave, you need to first break the news of your pregnancy to your boss. Luckily, we’ve already written the article on the best way to tell your boss you’re pregnant, including important things to think about before, during, and after your conversation.

As you prepare to break the news:

1. Research your organization’s policy library
2. Decide how far along in your pregnancy you want to be when you break the news
3. Pick a time on your boss’ calendar when you won’t feel rushed
4. Begin brainstorming your desired maternity leave plan

When you break the news:

1. Affirm your commitment to the company
2. Explain your expectations for confidentiality
3. Anticipate questions about current and future projects

After you break the news:

1. Sit down with Human Resources, if your company has an HR department
2. Choose when to tell your coworkers
3. Continue planning and negotiating your maternity leave

What about requesting workplace accommodations?

In the meantime and leading up to your leave, you may find yourself needing certain accommodations at work due to pregnancy-related conditions. These could include severe morning sickness, swelling, or dizziness, among other things.

We’ve written a comprehensive guide on the accommodations you can request at work, as well as a step-by-step process for requesting them from your employer:

1. Do your research and know your legal rights
2. Arrange a time to talk with your employer
3. Use a concise proposal, and be open to negotiations
4. Don’t settle for anything that’s less than accommodating
5. Thank your employer and set a positive precedent for the future

If you’re wondering what exactly you could ask for, this chart from UC Hastings College of Law covers an extensive number of possible accommodations.

And as you continue thinking about your upcoming leave, it’s important to be familiar with the legal rights governing it.

What are your rights for leave as a pregnant employee?

There are many federal, state, and local laws that govern what maternity leave your employer must provide for you, not including your own company’s policies. But the ones you should become familiar with include:

• The Pregnancy Discrimination Act
• The Family and Medical Leave Act
• Your state’s laws governing maternity or parental leave
• Any local laws governing maternity or parental leave
• Your company’s policies regarding maternity or parental leave

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)

The PDA was passed in 1978 as an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act provides pregnant employees with the same rights and job protections as other employees with medical conditions.

That means the PDA protects you from being discriminated against in your workplace due to your pregnancy. But what does it mean for your maternity leave?

• It means your employer cannot force you to take mandatory maternity leave
• It means you must be granted the same leave benefits as other employees with existing medical conditions
• It means you must be guaranteed job security during your leave
• It means you must remain eligible for raises and benefits during your leave⁵
• And more

It is helpful to note, however, that if your company does not provide any job protections or benefits to other employees with medical conditions, your company is not required to give them to you.⁵ Which is why the PDA is not your only legal protection.

Do you need to take action?

If you think you may be experiencing pregnancy-related discrimination in your workplace, check out our comprehensive article on how to know if you’re experiencing discrimination and what to do about it.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

The FMLA is probably the most well-known federal law regarding maternity and parental leave, although it covers other types of leave as well. It was passed in 1993 and applies to companies who employ 50 or more employees within 75 miles of the workplace (this is important to note if you work remotely).

According to the FMLA, if you’ve worked at least one year for the company, for at least 25 hours a week, they are required to provide you with 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

State and local laws regarding maternity leave

Your state may provide any number of additional maternity leave benefits and protections in addition to the PDA and the FMLA.

To find out what family or medical leave laws apply in your state, explore this interactive map from the National Conference of State Legislatures, or Google the name of your state and “maternity leave.”

Company policy regarding maternity leave

Finally, it’s important to become familiar with your company’s policies regarding maternity leave. Fourteen percent of workers in the U.S. have access to paid family leave through their company, but that percentage could be higher or lower depending on your industry.⁶

To figure out what length or type of leave you’re offered, get in touch with your HR department or ask your supervisor about company policy.

What if my company doesn’t have a maternity leave policy?

Some companies don’t have a maternity leave policy at all. If this is true for your company, it may be an opportunity to negotiate leave benefits with your employer. It may also begin a conversation about how the company handles family leave going forward.

Encourage your company to set a positive example of quality, and (at least) partially compensated maternity leave. Remind them that a good leave policy improves employee retention and enforces important company values.⁸

If nothing else, you may still be protected under federal laws like the PDA and the FMLA. If you qualify under the FMLA, you would be entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, regardless of company policy.

How do you compensate income during unpaid maternity leave?

Do you have access to paid or partially compensated maternity leave? Or are you facing the prospect of unpaid leave and wondering how you’re going to go without income for three months?

Unpaid maternity leave can feel like an impossible trade off. Either you forego income for months at a time, or you only take a couple weeks off work, and return long before you (or your baby) are actually physically, mentally, or emotionally ready.

We want to help give you a better, third option. Here are three other ways to compensate your income during unpaid maternity leave.

1. Utilize Short Term Disability benefits

If your company offers short term disability benefits, you may qualify for partial compensation during your maternity leave.

You’ll have to make sure that your company considers pregnancy a qualifying condition for short term disability benefits, and that their policy covers parental leave. The number of weeks of compensation offered with short term disability insurance can also vary depending on the plan and type of delivery you have (expect about five to seven weeks of partial compensation).⁷

Make sure you begin the process as early as possible by contacting your insurance provider or HR department. Unfortunately, if you don’t already have short term disability insurance before you get pregnant, you aren’t eligible to apply and submit a pregnancy-related claim after you conceive.

2. Use PTO or sick leave vacation time

If using short term disability insurance isn’t an option for you, consider using your paid time off (PTO) and sick leave vacation days to provide yourself with some income during maternity leave.

3. Find an alternative source of income

If your company doesn’t offer paid maternity leave, or the partial compensation you’ll receive isn’t enough to financially support you through your full leave, it may be time to get creative.

There are ways to find alternative sources of income leading up to your leave. Or you can implement money-saving strategies to put a little aside each month leading up to your baby’s arrival. Check out our article on financial tips to survive unpaid or underpaid maternity leave, including more information on short term disability insurance and PTO.

How do you write a maternity leave request letter?

A well-worded maternity leave request letter can go a long way in negotiating a quality leave with your employer (bonus points if you attach your maternity leave plan, which we go over in the next section).

But what should you include?

Our article on writing a professional maternity leave request letter lays out all the necessary details you need to know. It also includes three sample letters for your reference. But these are the basics that should be covered:

• Your name, job title, and employee number, if applicable
• Your due date and how many weeks of leave you plan to take
• The names of your coworkers taking over projects during your leave
• Clear communication boundaries during your leave
• Excitement about returning to the workplace (and some reentry details)

Make sure to submit your maternity leave request letter (and attached plan) as soon as possible after breaking the news to your boss.

How do you create a maternity leave plan?

If you’ve broken the news to your boss, researched your workplace rights, and know what sort of compensation you can expect, start brainstorming what you’d like your leave to look like.

But if you want to create a comprehensive maternity leave plan, you need to keep it all in one place. And you need to make sure you’ve planned for all the most important aspects regarding your leave and return to work.

We asked a working mom and lawyer to outline the essential aspects of creating a maternity leave plan. This is the format she used to prepare for her own maternity leave:

A maternity leave plan in three documents

When you create your maternity leave plan, make sure to include the following three documents:

1. Your maternity logistics
2. A responsibilities and communications tracker
3. A reentry plan

This will provide all the necessary, nitty gritty details about communication, projects, and reentry.

Document 1: Maternity logistics

This document will function as a brief outline and reference page for the most important aspects of your maternity leave. You can go into more detail on the next pages, if needed.

Important dates: Include important dates like your due date, a “check-in” date two weeks out from your due date (to remind the necessary people about your impending leve), and the beginning of your third trimester. Include the location where you’ll deliver and where you’ll stay during your leave—in case the office wants to send flowers!

Outline of reentry plan: This document is also a good place to add a brief outline of your reentry plan, like a “return to work” date and any additional details about the weeks leading up to your reentry into the workplace. For example, is there a date you’ll check in again with your team or boss before coming back?

Communication boundaries: Finally, outline your boundaries for communication during leave, and be firm. What method of communication is acceptable? By whom? For what reasons?

Document 2: Responsibilities and communications tracker

Interim bosses: Outline who will be the “interim bosses” taking over your projects in your absence.

Projects & processes: Outline the projects that need to be taken over while you’re on leave, along with all the details needed to complete them on time. In addition, are there any daily processes you need to write out for the coworkers who will be taking over in your absence?

A more detailed communication plan: Restate your communication boundaries from the first page of your maternity leave plan. You can go into more detail here. And include the text of your out-of-office response email.

Check out our brief article on how to write a great out-of-office email for your maternity leave.

Document 3: Reentry plan

Reentry date: Include your reentry date for your boss and coworkers’ reference. This date depends on a lot of factors, but try to choose a date that allows you ample time to bond with your baby. Ask yourself:

• Is your body ready?
• Is your mind ready?
• Do you have childcare?
• Do you need to go back for financial reasons?

Outline your first weeks back: Outline how you’re planning to reenter the workplace. This could include more flexible work options like telecommuting or part time hours. It may be smarter to ease back into your work routine instead of immediately going back full time, if your employer allows it.

Childcare and breastfeeding plan

For your own reference, it may be helpful to also start outlining a plan for childcare and breastfeeding after you go back to work. Your employer doesn’t need to receive this part of your leave plan, unless you’d like to discuss childcare options or breastfeeding accommodations.

5 important reminders as you plan your maternity leave

Of all the information we’ve covered, here are the most important things to remember:

1. Submit your maternity leave request letter + plan sooner rather than later

Besides, you never know when you’ll go into labor, or need to take an early leave if your doctor prescribes bedrest. So consider getting serious about planning out your leave around the “pregnancy safe zone” 12 to 15 weeks along.

Start a family-friendly cultural shift

If your company doesn’t already have a maternity leave policy, it could be a great opportunity to negotiate a quality leave with your employer and set a positive precedent going forward. In fact, the numbers show that offering better leave policies is better for business, like the data in this 2017 report by the Boston Consulting Group. That’s a great negotiating tool.

Other companies (including small businesses) have already set family-friendly and successful examples of maternity leave policies. If they can manage it, so can your employer, even if the details look a little different. Or compromises are suggested.

In the end, the next pregnant woman in your office will thank you.

2. Affirm your commitment to the company throughout the process

It’s important to plan your maternity leave while also affirming your ongoing commitment to the company. You can do this:

• During face-to-face conversations with your employer
• In your maternity leave request email
• In your maternity leave plan
• In the weeks leading up to taking leave

Offering employees quality maternity leave is a genuine inconvenience to your employer. Not only are they typically losing an employee for months at a time, they may also continue to pay you even though you aren’t working. And cross-training coworkers to take over unfinished projects takes time and effort.

Show gratitude

If your boss is granting you quality leave, even if it requires ongoing conversations and negotiations, assure them that their investment in you is a smart investment for their company.

In the end, it’s impossible to know everything your future holds. This includes any extenuating circumstances that cause you to rethink coming back to work as planned after your leave. But you can still be honest about your intentions to return to work and honest about what you appreciate about the company.

3. Set firm boundaries for your leave

It’s extremely important to set firm communication expectations during your leave. Part of a truly great maternity leave is creating a safe space to adjust to the life changes of new motherhood without the added stress of the workplace.

If you only want to be contacted in emergencies by email during your leave, make it clear in your maternity leave plan. Make it clear who is allowed to contact you. Make it clear when they are allowed to contact you.

Turn on your out-of-office email response message when it’s time for your leave to begin, and turn your focus to your family.

4. Explore flexible work options when reentering the workforce

You may have assumed you’d simply return to work full time, or according to your normal schedule after your maternity leave ends. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

Maternity leave is a time of transformation—not just for your body and your role as a mother, but quite possibly your expectations as well. What you envisioned for going back to work before your baby was born may not be the same 12 weeks later. Some women are ready to jump back in, but some find the transition harder than expected, or wish to make the transition more steadily.

Ask your employer about flexible work options while you’re still pregnant. These could include:

• Telecommuting or work from home days
• A temporary part time schedule or adjusted hours

Don’t be afraid to explore your options.

5. It’s natural for your priorities to adjust after having a baby

She Might contributor Katie Vizzerra writes in her article on creating a maternity leave plan that “after having a child, you might feel different about work...Your perspective changes. And that’s ok.” She goes on to remind working women that “there is a season for everything. It’s okay to slow down for a season, pick back up for a season, and do it all over.”

Be flexible and honest with your expectations, your feelings, and your priorities, especially after a baby. Motherhood can give you a new purpose and new perspective that you never imagined having before, but it’s impossible to know how it’ll affect you before you live it.

In the end, working motherhood is a journey, and there is no one “right way” for every woman.

Conclusion

Your maternity leave matters. It should be a protected space and time to bond with your newborn and rest and recover from childbirth. And it should be a time to create new routines and navigate the changes of new motherhood—without the added stresses of work. That’s why it’s so important to plan for it well, and to start planning for it now.

You can expect a great maternity leave if:

• You know your legal rights at the federal, state, and local level
• You take enough time off work for a healthy transition into motherhood
• You have the financial stability to pay for your expenses during leave
• You prepare a detailed maternity leave plan for your employer and coworkers
• You give yourself the flexibility to transition slowly back into work
• You’re prepared for your priorities or perspectives to adjust

And we’re here to help you create the maternity leave of your dreams, to keep your career on track even while you’re gone.

Ready to start brainstorming your leave plan? We’ll walk you through the steps to organizing a plan your boss will love, even breaking it down page by page.