How to afford maternity leave

Maternity leave is a great thing — it allows for baby bonding, mama care time, and should be a priority for healthy families.

Sadly maternity leave in the U.S lags far, far behind many other countries. Most places offer more time off, time with pay off, and plenty of family leave (so you don’t give up sick or vacation time for maternity leave).

Can you even afford to take maternity leave in the U.S.? Maybe, if you plan ahead.

Here are some tips.

• Many companies bulk all leave together in one unsatisfactory package but if your company separates vacation time from family leave than start saving vacation days the second you find out you’re pregnant. Personally I think mamas should get a nice vacation before the baby arrives but right now this may be the best option for vacation days.
• If you own your home you can possible take out a home-equity line of credit; which means if you need it the money is there but you don’t have to use it.
• Suspend your portion of 401 (k) for a few months — that extra can add up to a weeks worth of leave depending on how much you contribute. Just don’t forget to return your account to normal after you return to work.
• The second your little is born you can change your tax withholdings to represent your new family member — more cash in your pocket!
• Save up before you ever get pregnant. More than 50% of pregnancies are unplanned but that’s still quite a few mamas who plan this mamahood deal. If you and your partner are discussing baby plans than your plans need to include saving up for leave time for both of you.
• Re-budget! Learn to live on less (great training for parenthood in itself). Figure out where your money is going and think about if you’d rather have a $180 pair of shoes or one more day at home with your baby.

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