Skip to main content
Sili Recio's picture

Christina is from Pennsylvania. She shared her story in one of our storybooks (Paid Family Leave: A Solid Step Toward the First Food). This is her story...

I unexpectedly became pregnant with my second child shortly after starting a new job in 2002. When it came time to let my boss in on the news of the pregnancy, I explained to her that while I hadn't intended to become pregnant at that time, my husband and I were happy and I wished to continue my employment with the company. She then informed me that I would not be covered by FMLA and if I wished to continue working there I would only be permitted to use any vacation and sick time I had accrued up until that point.

Company policy did not allow unpaid leave for those employed less than a year. While I briefly considered quitting, it did not seem to be a viable option - I had just started my career and felt lucky to have a job in my field of study.

The problems this lack of paid leave created were two-fold. First, since I needed to save all the time I could for after the birth, I couldn't use any sick time during my entire pregnancy despite horrible morning sickness. I also had a two-year old at home with family, so if there was ever a childcare issue I would have to scramble because I didn't have the ability to stay home with her. Secondly, even though I was diligent to save every second of time I could, that still only left me with 9 days to recover with my newborn after the birth (including weekends). Nine days! Seems preposterous to me now.

Luckily I was able to breastfeed my daughter for 8 months after 9 days of vacation and sick and time that passed for my maternity leave. But I was very determined, and because it was my second child I already had breastfeeding experience. I won't say it was easy — I'd say my breastfeeding challenges were more logistical and mental because I had to find a way to establish a routine with a new baby, a toddler under two and a full-time job. I spent evenings pumping to make sure I had enough milk to leave for the new baby while I was at work. If it had been my first child, I'm certain I would have failed at it because it does really take practice and time to get used to it. Now that I'm older, I'm not sure I would have put myself through the added stress that it caused. I know I worried a lot about milk supply and probably spent more time pumping than was necessary. Instead, perhaps I should have relaxed a little and enjoyed my babies without trying to do it all. Then again, had I been allowed to spend more time with them at the outset, it would have been a moot point!

 

The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of MomsRising.org.

MomsRising.org strongly encourages our readers to post comments in response to blog posts. We value diversity of opinions and perspectives. Our goals for this space are to be educational, thought-provoking, and respectful. So we actively moderate comments and we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that undermine these goals. Thanks!