My colleague at work got pregnant in fall 2014 with twins. She had a two-year-old at home, and had worked for two years to accumulate enough vacation and sick time so that she could have a partially-paid maternity leave. Even with her generous government benefits, it took her all two years, without a vacation or illness. At 20 weeks, she got sick, went into the hospital, and ultimately lost both her children to complications. She spent two weeks in the hospital, and another two weeks at home, grieving and recovering. She ended up being forced to return to work because she had used up her days, and couldn’t afford to stay home. She also then realized that, having spent all her vacation and sick days, she would have to wait another 2-3 years to save more time before trying to become pregnant again. Her family planning decisions and life course were decided by leave policies, not by the needs of her family.
