So, I'm definitely starting to feel a little bit of anxiety. We are under 10 weeks away, and have not done much more with the nursery since the 20 week mark. I realize that is because we've been waiting on showers, but that does not help my feelings of "holy sh!t I hope this baby doesn't make an early appearance!". Plus, I am in the middle of evaluations at work, and that has caused every other maternity leave "project" to sit on the back burner for a few weeks. I still have so much to do to prepare everyone to not freak out when I leave. They got through my vacation week last year, so hopefully they won't have a problem with multiplying that by 12! lol After next week, I should be able to get back to hammering out all of the memos, notes, prep, etc. for when I'm gone. I can't lie, though... I'm terrified!
We had what should be our last ultrasound yesterday. It was the quickest one yet! The tech wasn't rude, but she left something to be desired. She did say that because the baby is so big at this point, it's hard to get really good shots like with the previous visits. We got a few profile and straight-on face shots. I still have a hard time figuring u/s pictures out! Anyway, baby is growing ahead of schedule by almost a week - weighs 3lbs 4oz so far. At this point, baby should be gaining about 1/2 a pound a week!! That would make baby over 8lbs at our due date! I guess that's not too big for some people, but I'd be so grateful for a 7lb baby! lol Regardless, as long as s/he is healthy, mommy will be happy. My mom seems to think that I won't make it to 40 weeks. She had my older brother a week early, and I've had a couple of episodes where I needed to go in to be checked. While part of me wouldn't mind being a week or 2 early, I worry about things like work. My goal is to have everything in place no later than July 1st. This way, I can spend a few weeks watching and helping everyone who will be taking over my duties before I'm really gone.
Another reason I guess I'm feeling anxious is because I recently realized that our Short Term Disability (STD) coverage will only pay for the amount of time the physician writes for you to have medical leave. Of course, I will still have my 12 weeks of protected leave under FMLA, but STD will only cover 6 weeks for vaginal birth or 10 weeks for C-section. Plus, you have a 15 day waiting period, so it's actually less. I have vacation and sick leave that I have been accruing, but it will be tight with this. One good thing is that I am pre-paying for the 12 weeks on all of my benefits before I leave. This way, my benefits are safe and it's a little extra in my check while I'm gone. After my next maternity meeting with my boss, I'm going to sit down and really hammer out the numbers to make sure I have everything set to where I can have my full 12 weeks off without having to worry about my paycheck. Plus, if you've been reading, you know we're saving for my leave. Our goal is to not have to touch the money we've saved unless we absolutely have to - just pretend it does not exist. Of course, it's intended purpose is to make sure we do not run into any financial snags due to me being off of work, but it would be fantastic if we did not have to use it. If we continue as we have been, then we'll have enough to cover 50% of my pay per month for the 3 months I'll be out. With absolutely no other benefits (STD, work from home, etc), I will have enough vacation/sick to cover 5-6 weeks off. Add in the other benefits, and that number will increase. I know everything will be fine, but I will definitely rest much easier after that next meeting. :)
Some of you might think I just got a little too personal. However, I share the above because I think that many women/couples do not realize the financial aspect of maternity leave when it comes to their job. I have worked with a few other employees in the past who had no idea exactly how their benefits worked until it was almost time to deliver. While you definitely want to prepare on the back-end (saving money, buying necessities ahead of time), you also need to be very aware of whether or not you will be getting paid while you're away from work and for how long. Do not be afraid to ask questions. It has broken my heart the couple of times when I've dealt with women who did not think or prepare beforehand, and were having to figure out how in the world they were going to survive and take care of their baby without receiving a full paycheck for the amount of time they needed off.
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