The main purpose of maternity leave is to allow the new mother time to heal and bond with her newborn baby. Maternity leave grants the new mother the opportunity to get accustomed to the many changes in her life, which includes scheduling all other responsibilities around the baby. Breastfeeding mothers also make use of maternity leave to get used to nursing, as well as building up a milk supply in order for them to pump milk as needed for baby at home before they return to work.
Benefits of Maternity Leave
Apart from bonding with the new baby, maternity leave also offer mothers the opportunity to spend special time with the rest of the family, get some doctor’s appointments out of the way, and relax in a stress-free environment away from work. Some women are lucky enough to receive paid maternity leave, which means her family does not have to worry about a financial burden hanging over their heads while enjoying maternity leave. When the mother returns to work, she will subsequently have an easy transition back into her work requirements. Mothers can rest assured of the fact that, by law, they will not lose status in their employment or be penalized.
Time Frame regarding Maternity Leave
The maximum amount of maternity leave time allowed is 12 weeks. However, in order for a pregnant mother to be granted this time off, she must have worked for her employer at least 12 months. By law, a company should grant maternity leave if they consist of a minimum of 50 employees. It should be noted that paid maternity leave is something completely separate from sick benefits and vacation.
Paid and Unpaid Maternity Leave
Two types of maternity leave exist, namely paid and unpaid maternity leave. Paid maternity leave is when the woman’s employer continues to pay her a monthly salary even though she is at home with her baby. However, paid maternity leave is rare as not many companies are prepared to pay someone for work not being done. Most employers offer unpaid maternity leave; women are thus encouraged to take 12 weeks off from work, but they are not paid during this time. Some women save up their sick days or vacation days and subsequently use them up during maternity leave; this helps to ease the financial burden during the 12 weeks. During paid or unpaid maternity leave, women can rest assured that their jobs are secure.
