Harley’s Story

I found out I was pregnant in October 2018. My husband and I had been trying to conceive for a year. I had just started a new job at the end of August, my husband had just been let go from his job, and we were thick in the middle of trying to start our own business.

My employer, a non-profit in Bath, Maine, offers a 10-day leave and the use of accumulated paid time off. I’m grateful that they allowed me to take any leave considering I had only been there for 10 months, but as I was still a new employee, that PTO didn’t account for much.

My leave ended up being four weeks paid (two of these were using my paid time off), three more weeks unpaid, and then I worked from home part time for two additional weeks. In total, I got to be home with my baby for seven full weeks, and then home part time for two more. However, seeing that my employer only pays health insurance premiums for full-time employees, I was required to pay back my premium for the three unpaid weeks and two part-time weeks. I also returned to work with zero vacation or sick time remaining.

By the time my son was born in June, my husband’s business was in full swing. He opened in November 2018 and we simply could not afford to have him take any kind of leave. It is also important to note that had my husband still been with his previous employer, he would not have been granted any paid time off, and getting unpaid leave would have been near impossible.

Something I think of often is that my maternity leave was shorter than the lawful time a puppy cannot be separated from its mother. My human baby wasn’t granted the same legal right to be with his mother that a puppy receives. I don’t love that comparison, but I do think it is telling.

I am still disappointed that I didn’t have the time I wanted (or needed) with my son.

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