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How were YOU supported by access to maternity leave?

Please submit your story below about how you were supported to breastfeed by access to maternity leave, or how this support made all the difference for you.

How will the stories be used?

Submissions will become part of a bank of real-life stories documenting the many ways that "everyone can help make breastfeeding easier." Stories will be compiled and displayed at the bottom of this page in real time—you can choose below to remain anonymous, if desired. The stories will call attention to the need for support now, while also creating a resource for future breastfeeding advocacy efforts.

IMPORTANT NOTE - PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING!

By submitting a story you agree to allow your comments to be posted on this web page, and quoted by USBC. If you do not want your name to appear on the web list, simply check the box to "Display in list as Anonymous." If posted anonymously, your name will be known only to USBC. Please change the names of all individuals or organizations mentioned in your story, or simply refer to "my husband", "my employer", "my doctor," etc. DO NOT USE REAL NAMES. Examples selected for use may be edited due to space limitations and commentary may be added by reviewers. Not all stories submitted will be used.

Optional Member Code

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Street

City*

State/Province*

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Yes, I would be willing to personally share my story (e.g., in a media interview, online video, or at a hearing or event).

Yes, I authorize USBC to share my story and contact info with member or partner organizations. This would be for the purpose of breastfeeding advocacy ONLY.

Time Frame of Story*

Please type or paste in your story below. If you do not want your name to appear on the web list, be sure to check the box to "Display in list as Anonymous." Then click "Sign Petition" to submit.

Display in list as Anonymous

1-13 of 13 signatures

Number	Date	Name	Location	Please type or paste in your ...
13	Fri May 04 12:04:40 EDT 2012	Chelsea Mueller	la marque, TX	Chelsea Mueller My company offers a very generous sick time policy with up to 12 weeks of paid FMLA leave. Additionally, my company was generous enough to allow me to take a day off each Wednesday More....
12	Fri Feb 10 16:09:42 EST 2012	erin yorker	Temple Terrace, FL	While not the absolute best, I was still fortunate to have 6 weeks out through short term disability at 60% pay (closer to 50% after taxes). I was aware of this and had planned the pregnancy, More....
11	Thu Sep 01 13:42:46 EDT 2011	sarah lansing	littleton, CO	I don't have the benefits of having FMLA at Denver Health because I am considered Intermittant. My employer offered to hold my position for 12 weeks unpaid maternity leave, and without that I would not More....
10	Sat May 28 21:52:58 EDT 2011	Anonymous	Marathon, FL	Employer provided opportunity for FMLA leave, full telecommuting, later partial telecommuting and flexible schedule.
9	Sat May 28 21:06:05 EDT 2011	Anonymous	Madison , CT	I work a white-collar office job in a very large company. A woman who works in my building as a janitor was pregnant at the same time I was - her baby due about a month after mine. I went out on More....
8	Wed May 18 12:35:36 EDT 2011	Lorelei Sandoval	Ramona, CA	If I didnt have 6 weeks of paid disability and 6 weeks of paid FMLA, I would not have been able to exclusively breastfeed the first 6 months of my sons life. The paid leave gave me time to establish a More....
7	Wed May 18 11:38:24 EDT 2011	Tiffany Gallagher	Robbinsdale, MN	The leave policies of my former employer were absolutely instrumental in facilitating breastfeeding. In addition to six weeks of short-term disability for a vaginal birth, they provided six weeks of paid More....
6	Tue May 17 14:00:16 EDT 2011	Jennifer Gerard	N Richland Hills, TX	I believe my twelve-week maternity leave was crucial to my breastfeeding success. My employer provided 6 weeks paid at 100%, then I continued from 6 more paid from my PTO under FMLA. There is such a learning More....
5	Mon May 16 12:31:26 EDT 2011	Jen Meyercheck	Pittsburgh, PA	My company offers a 100%-paid maternity leave of 6 weeks for regular births and 8 weeks for cesarean. I definitely took advantage of that, and also tacked on another 2 weeks of unpaid leave (we saved More....
4	Mon May 16 10:17:08 EDT 2011	Rebecca Wiggins	Columbus, OH	My male boss was extremely supportive and flexible after I had both of my children. My small company has a great maternity leave option in place (short term disability) so that we are able to More....
3	Mon May 16 09:58:00 EDT 2011	Anonymous	Hirschberg, ot	As a federal employee I was able to take 3 months off (without pay) under the Family and Medical Leave Act. It was passed only a few years before my first child was born, so I feel very lucky More....
2	Sat May 14 21:50:02 EDT 2011	Elena Taylor	El Paso, TX	I was working when I went into labor with my first baby. I chose to take a full three months off for my maternity leave and that was the best decision that I could have made. Knowing that my job was still More....
1	Sat May 14 14:15:36 EDT 2011	Anonymous	Lake in the Hills, IL	I notice there are no entries here. The maternity leave in our country is pathetic. WE NEED MORE RIGHTS TO EMPLOYEE MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE!!!!!!!!! I wasn't working while pregnant because I couldn't More....