This time my notes didn't get deleted, so let's start with the physical stuff. I started feeling sick last Friday after work and survived my first, and hopefully only, cold. I took tylenol a couple of times for headache pain, but other than that, no meds. I think the virus went through me much more quickly than usual because I wasn't suppressing the symptoms with nyquil and dayquil. Or maybe it was just a quick virus. Or maybe the baby made it go by faster. At any rate, I was back to work by Monday, so I didn't have to take any sick days, which is great.
Let's talk maternity leave. As a teacher, I get 12 weeks off whether I take part before I have the baby or save it all for after. As for pay, I get to use any illness time I have saved since I began teaching five years ago. We get 10 full pay illness days per school year and I'm not sure how many half pay days. I use all my full pay days every year, so I didn't have any saved up, but I do get 10 more for this year. I have enough half pay days for two or three maternity leaves, so that's not a concern. Since my due date is the first day of spring break, I don't have to use my illness time for the first week I'm planning to take off.
Hold on. Stop right there. I'm planning to work up until my due date? Yes I am. I might not be able to if my doctor tells me I have to stop working sooner, but I'd like to work all the way up until my due date if I can. I have a very strong feeling the baby will come late, anyway, so I don't want to take two weeks off before my due date and sit around at home for a month waiting. Also, I would have to use that illness time for the time I take off before the baby comes and I'd like to keep the half pay weeks to a minimum.
Ok, so the first week will be full pay, as will the next two weeks, as long as I don't use any of my 10 days for this year. I haven't used any so far - which is not typical for me as I get sick a lot and get migraines once in a while that prevent me from working - and I'm planning to only use half days (which come out of half pay illness instead of full pay) for any doctor's appointments that I can't make for after work. My anatomy scan, for example, is scheduled on a Monday at 1:45pm, so I can work until lunch and then head to the appointment. After the first three weeks at full pay, I'll get half pay for the remaining six weeks of school. Then, in the summer, I will be back to full pay. At this point, there's no way I'm not going back to work next fall, but if my some miracle I didn't have to, I would have to pay back the full pay from the summer - or part of it because I can get 12 weeks of half pay... not sure how that works, though.
All of this means that I will get a total of 4.5 months off with only 6 weeks or so at half pay. I'm liking how this is all working out!
On to other stuff new this week: I started getting heartburn. I had already stocked up on tums, knowing it was coming at some point, and so far I've taken maybe on every two days. Not bad, but I anticipate it will get worse. Again, if this is my biggest problem, I'm doing pretty great.
In the beginning of my pregnancy, I was trying to hide my growing belly because I didn't want my students to ask me if I was pregnant before I was ready to tell them. Now, though, I've realized that I feel much more confident in more form fitting clothes that show off the bump as opposed to looser looks that leave people guessing if I had a big lunch. My favorite shirts are the kind with rouching on the sides and I need more because I only have two.
I've been feeling the baby move a lot lately. I keep trying to get my husband to feel it from the outside, but no luck yet. He seems to be nervous to push too hard and I have to hold his hand to my belly to make sure he's putting enough pressure to feel it. I'm excited for the first time he feels it - it's pretty cool.
Last weekend, my father-in-law came over to help my husband skim coat the walls in the baby room to get rid of the hideous texture. Everything had to come out of there and since we're still not sure what's going in the new office/guestroom combo,
It scares me. I'm hoping to deal with some of it on Saturday, but I'm not sure where to begin! Wish me luck...
7 comments:
Love that dress and that baby bump!
xo,
A
Cute picture!! I like the dress too :)
soooo CUUUUTTTEEEE!!!! xoxo
Do teachers pay in to the CA State Disability Insurance? Because through that you can get paid for up to 4 weeks before the birth, 6 weeks to recover and 6 weeks for bonding. All paid at about 45% of your normal salary.
In any case you are legally entitled to take up to 24 weeks of job protected leave. Figuring out what will be paid and what won't is another story. But FMLA provides you with job protected leave for 12 weeks that you can use before the birth and to recover after the birth. Then CFRA kicks in and that offers you job protected leave for another 12 weeks for bonding time. You can take CFRA leave any time between birth and 1 year.
Maternity leave is very confusing because of all the laws, employer polices, insurance, etc all play into it. I hope you figure it all out and make the most of it!
@Yuliana We get 12 weeks that we can take before or after the baby arrives and we can have up to 6 months, I believe, without pay and still come back to our position. I don't think we pay into the disability insurance, but we get a better deal because we can use up our illness time. I'm more concerned with the paid time because at this point we can't afford to lose my income completely. I'm lucky that my leave will go right into summer break, for which I get paid my regular salary!
@Cameron thanks, love!
@Angela thanks!
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