Working Mother or Stay-At-Home Mom
Having a baby means a lot of changes in the mother¡¯s life; first you must decide whether you want to continue to work or be a stay-at-home mom. This is a personal choice that one has to make after great consideration and both situations have their advantages and disadvantages. If you rejoin work soon after the birth, who will breastfeed and take care of the baby? So you must decide on the best time for you to go back to work. If you have a caring partner who is willing to share responsibility, pregnancy can be quite a celebration.
Is Your Work Place Surrounded By Toxins or Health Hazards?
The other important issue about pregnancy planning is if you work in a place where there are hazardous chemicals, radiation, dry cleaning fluids or anesthesia; these can harm the baby. You must talk to your doctor and ask his advice on whether you should change your job or take an extended work break.
Asking Your Employer for Leave
The Family Medical Leave Act sets 12 weeks of maternity leave in companies that have more than 50 employees. You can also ask your employer to club this leave with your sick leave and vacation leave. When is the best time to let your employer know that you are pregnant? It is in the first trimester, when you start showing. Make sure that you have a clear picture in your mind about whether you are going to get back to work or be a stay-at-home mom before you discuss things with him.
The Financial Aspect
And finally, the finances have to be taken care of. Are you willing to allow your partner to provide for you and your child? What is your financial situation? Or would you prefer taking up a part time job to continue earning? As said before, planning for working mother can be smooth sailing if you have a caring partner and the two of you support each other. This way, you can plan the pregnancy together every step of the way and your pregnancy can be a wonderful experience.
Pregnancy planning for working mothers is imperative. After all, they have to decide whether they wish to continue working after pregnancy or stay at home. There are other questions too that need answers. How much leave can they get, when should they return to work and who will take care of the finances¡¡? Start working on pregnancy planning as early as when you are planning on getting pregnant. To avoid confusion and hassles, don¡¯t leave the maternity leave issue at the time pregnancy for last minute.