Maternity Leave And Work Issues

If you are planning to become pregnant, you need information about the policies in your workplace. For instance, it is your employer's responsibility to inform you of any workplace reproductive hazards. Potential hazards include lead, ethylene oxide, ionizing radiation, and dibromochloropropane. Your policy manual should state your employer's policies regarding maternity leave and vacation time.

Your health care provider or midwife can inform you if you have special considerations for your pregnancy that will require extra visits, extra rest, or any work restrictions. Many women fear workplace discrimination regarding pregnancy, such as taking time for childcare and breastfeeding, but it is illegal for most employers to discriminate on these bases. If you develop problems during your pregnancy, your employer is required to treat your pregnancy like any other medical disability. This is part of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.

Under the Family Medical Leave Act, employees are eligible for unpaid leave for illness or pregnancy and birth if they:

• Have worked for their employer at least 12 months
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months
• Work at a location where the company employs 50 or more people within 75 miles of that location

Eligibility is determined under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Make sure you get the appropriate paperwork from your employer, and bring it to your health care provider.

Review Date: 3/14/2008
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Greg Juhn, MTPW, David R. Eltz, Kelli A. Stacy, ELS. Previously reviewed by Douglas A. Levine, MD, Gynecology Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (2/19/2007).

A.D.A.M.'s health encyclopedia is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation Healthcare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial reviewers. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2002 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.