I'm grateful I live and work in a European country where maternity leave is quite long. In Ireland, the maximum maternity leave is 40 weeks or 10 months, 26 weeks (6 months) of which are paid either by the company that you work or via the social welfare department. The remaining 16 weeks (4 months) are unpaid, but still! When I look at other countries' maternity leave benefits, 40 weeks is generous enough.
I opted for 40 weeks and that 40 weeks is about to end this December. I was supposed to go back to work in January but the Lord has given us another favour. I was able to extend that leave with my boss up to the second week of February and with me being back in the payroll end of December. Thank you Lord!
I'm also grateful R and I are in the position where I was able to go salary-less for a stretch of 10 months. Much financial planning is needed when you have another soul to take care of and so far, we've survived.
Most of all, I'm grateful for this period where I can devote time to be a full-time mommy, to recover well from the tolls of giving birth, and to breastfeed Zeya. I strongly feel for working moms who have not much of a choice but to go back to working soon after giving birth. I feel you mommies and it is my prayer that all of the world should unite and bring forth a standard maternity leave for working mommies.
I will reserve my musings about motherhood and breastfeed in another post. :)
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