In 2015 I gave birth to my son at 32 weeks. Aside from the fear and stress of having a premie I had to decide when to start my maternity leave. The family medical leave act is the only reason I would have any time off and companies in my field rarely pay you during it. We made the decision that I would go back to work part time until we could bring our baby home. Because of the pressure of only had a small window of time I struggled with the guilt that I was at work while my son was still in the hospital. I was his mother, I should be with him. What I will never understand is that in America a family is not guaranteed paid time off and only have the FMLA to guarentee that can take any time off and still have a job. I think without paid leave we are robbing families of the most special times in their lives of getting to know their children. Many moms go back to work sooner then they want. I hope Nebraska will be a state that steps up and makes paid leave a guarantee for all parents.
Liel, Omaha, Nebraska