Mom Denied Permission to Visit After Baby's Born

Cady

I am so upset right now, just have to vent for a minute. My husband and I are happily expecting our long-awaited first child in early November, we live across the country from our families. He's going to take a couple weeks off work right when the baby's born, but then he has to return. My mom was planning to fly out when he goes back to work and spend a little over two weeks with us, to help me adjust to being a mom. We also have a family history of postpartum depression, and she wants to make sure someone is with me who can recognize the signs.

Now you should know, my mom has been a public school teacher for over 20 years, and has accumulated over 200 sick days. She requested 11 days off for this trip, with plenty of notice to fully prepare lesson plans and secure a substitute teacher (she actually has a retired teacher friend who volunteered to sub for her).

The head of human resources DENIED my mom's request to provide postpartum support for her daughter and FIRST GRANDBABY. I even had a letter from my midwife stating that I will require postpartum care.

If this were any other job, my mom could take vacation time to travel, or even unpaid leave. But as a teacher, she doesn't even get these privileges. My mom's contract is ambiguous enough about sick leave policies that she could be granted permission if the HR director wanted to give it. She has colleagues who have been granted exceptions for far more trivial reasons.

I love my husband, and we are so ready to have our little family of three. But giving birth and transitioning to motherhood is going to be HARD, and I just want my mommy!