Pregnant women sometimes need to take time off work for issues related to their pregnancy. Even when she has an uneventful pregnancy, the woman will need time off work for prenatal appointments, childbirth and the recovery after. Some of that time might be covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The FMLA allows eligible employees who work for a qualified employer to take up to 12 weeks of leave from work for very specific reasons. One of these is for childbirth. Another is for the employee’s own medical condition, including those related to the pregnancy.
How does FMLA leave work for a pregnant employee?
If the employee has worked for their employer for 12 months and at least 1,250 hours within the past year, they can take this unpaid leave if the employer has at least 50 employees in a 75-mile radius. The baby’s father can also take FMLA leave if he’s eligible.
The leave can be used for prenatal appointments with appropriate notification. It can also be used for childbirth and the postpartum recovery period. The woman can take the leave all at once or she can opt to take time off intermittently as she needs.
Some women have complications during pregnancy. She can also use FMLA leave to cover time she needs to take off because of problems during the pregnancy.
Determining what’s allowable for FMLA leave during pregnancy may not be easy. Working with someone who’s familiar with these matters may make it possible for the woman to get the leave she’s due without having to go through too much stress.