Think how much easier recovery and taking care of a newborn is than going to work.

Yes indeed. There are few things in life easier than caring for an entirely helpless human. Much easier than paperwork and whatnot.

I could probably negotiate for extra unpaid leave.

I have a sneaking feeling that the state-funded STD would only kick in if I had another c-section.

Would an option be to take the job for the duration of your pregnancy, use whatever PTO you can acrue and keep searching for another job?

Yes, that's one option. And my current job doesn't turn into a pumpkin until the end of February, so I have some time to scramble for alternatives.

Holy CRAP I miss posting with you guys.

Wow - I've been shocked before by the ridiculous brevity of US maternity leave, but that's the worst I've ever heard of. Jessica, I hope you're able to negotiate something better.

There are a number of high-IQ people that I've known who could maybe benefit from reading this: Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart

Or not.

How can someone with a high IQ have these kinds of intellectual deficiencies? Put another way, how can a "smart" person act foolishly? Keith Stanovich, professor of human development and applied psychology at the University of Toronto, Canada, has grappled with this apparent incongruity for 15 years. He says it applies to more people than you might think. To Stanovich, however, there is nothing incongruous about it. IQ tests are very good at measuring certain mental faculties, he says, including logic, abstract reasoning, learning ability and working-memory capacity - how much information you can hold in mind.

But the tests fall down when it comes to measuring those abilities crucial to making good judgements in real-life situations. That's because they are unable to assess things such as a person's ability to critically weigh up information, or whether an individual can override the intuitive cognitive biases that can lead us astray.

Much more at the link....

There are a number of high-IQ people that I've known who could maybe benefit from reading this: Clever fools: Why a high IQ doesn't mean you're smart

Intelligence is not the same as wisdom.

Jessica, I'm completely aghast. And I cannot, cannot see how it's remotely legal. Even if they're technically an overseas company and not New York, they're operating in New York and employing residents of New York, some of whom (such as, for instance, YOU) have lengthy employment histories with the company with which they've just strategically partnered, or whatever bullshit they're claiming.

I just seriously cannot believe that's legal. ehab's link looks like a good place to start. Or check with lawyers who specialize in disability issues (you can also check the law schools in NYC, as they'll often have higher level students or professors willing and able to at least do pro bono research on your behalf). And I'd seriously consider contacting your state rep or senators. That's fucking unconscionable.

The Europeans in our office are always shocked that the "normal" maternity leave in the US is unpaid. People are always stockpiling vacation and sick days.

Jessica, I think that for a regular delivery you should be able to get 6 weeks of coverage from the NYS short term disability fund. Rather than asking your HR department, you might ask your OB (who has probably filled out the forms a bazillion times).

It's not a lot of money, but it's something.

Jesus, Jess-- everyone's said everything I'm thinking and then some. I simply can't see how this is legal. Obviously, morally, it bites the proverbial big one.

Asswipes.