For Our Babies

Celebrating the For Our Babies Campaign Launch

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Celebration of the For Our Babies campaign launch in San Francisco on February 29, 2012. Families, advocates, and supporters gather at first public event of the movement.

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  1. Maria states, While we in the U.S. do have the legal right to up to 12 weeks of uniapd “family leave”– honestly, who can afford that? And the consequences go way beyond those 12 weeks. We know that women who don’t have paid leave are less likely to breastfeed their infants. And we know that the first few weeks of breastfeeding are the most critical to a child’s lifelong health. Well, we were able to afford it, and not because we’re rich. I knew my maternity leave was uniapd. I planned for that. My husband and I developed a budget and planned for my lost income. Can everyone have that kind of self discipline? Obviously not. Also, not only did I breastfeed for the first few weeks, my son is now over a year old and still nursing every night before bed.Would paid leave have been nice? Sure. But who pays? Your employer? Well, they would have to balance that out with lower salaries and/or other lower benefits. The government? That translates into a higher tax burden. Paid maternity leave is not free money. Someone is paying for it in other ways. Maria mentions how critical the first few weeks of breastfeeding is to a baby’s physical development. That is very true. But what also is critical to a child’s lifelong development is solid care from a consistent caregiver for the first several years of life. (Do I dare say Stay at home mom? ) I didn’t just plan on taking the usual three months uniapd maternity leave. We planned for more like three years. Tough on the pocket book? Possibly. (But after factoring in cost of child care, not as tough as you might think.) But the benefits to my child far out weigh any perceived benefits of more money in the bank. Planning. It’s tough to do, but so worth it.