Parental leave: 6 months paid is optimal but not realistic
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Taking extended time off to welcome a newborn is crucial for the health of parents, babies and businesses, but the U.S. still has no federal law mandating paid family leave.
Why it matters: Six months leave or more — paid — is associated with significantly better physical and mental health outcomes for mothers, research suggests.
That amount allows for bonding and recovery time, and also helps companies retain employees.
- Maternity leave of 12 weeks or shorter is associated with higher maternal depression and other negative health outcomes, studies show.
Between the lines: 12 weeks has long been considered the magic number when it comes to leave time, and it's the maximum amount allowed by many employers.
- A theory popularized through the bestselling parenting book "Happiest Baby on the Block" holds that babies need at least three months to get comfortable with life outside of the womb. Experts consider that time period — dubbed the "fourth trimester" — a critical postpartum stage.
- Twelve weeks was the amount of paid time off initially proposed (but never passed) in Democrats' spending plan.
But it can take an average of six months after giving birth to start to feel normal, physically and emotionally, according to moms interviewed for the book "The Fifth Trimester." It's a guide for moms navigating those first three months back after parental leave.
- Those surveyed said by seven months their babies could finally sleep for about seven hours in a row.
For dads, too, adequate leave has proved to have a lasting impact.
- Taking time to bond with a newborn leads to brain changes that help prepare fathers for the cognitive demands of parenthood.
Reality check: Only 27% of workers even have access to any paid parental leave, AP reports. Among the bottom 25% of wage earners, just 14% have access.
The bottom line: Most employers offering paid parental leave in the U.S. stick to the standard of 12 weeks — or less.
- But many offer options to extend parental leave with unpaid or partially paid time off, and, in some states, new parents can stack state benefits with employer benefits to take more time off.
- Some new parents also combine vacation days with parental leave to get that extra bonding and recovery time.
