When we were going through our homestudy to adopt our son from Korea, our social worker told us that one of us had to stay home for at least six weeks. It was a requirement. Truthfully, it wasn’t a hardship for me because I had already made plans to take the whole twelve weeks of leave that I was allowed through the Family Medical Leave Act.

When is a company governed by FMLA?
• The employer has at least 50 employees.

When are you eligible for FMLA?
• You have worked for the employer for 12 consecutive months.
• You have worked at least 1,250 hours in those 12 months.

What should you know about FMLA?
• It is an unpaid leave.
• If possible, you can work on an intermittent schedule.
• As long as you pay your regular premiums, your benefits will continue.
• It provides job security.

Though I wanted to take the full twelve weeks, it was necessary to really think through my decision. We were a household that was used to two incomes and for twelve weeks we only had one. Unlike my coworkers who took FMLA for the birth of their children, my company did not pay me during my time off because there wasn’t a medical reason that I was off.

If your employer is not governed by FMLA, check with them to see what they have to offer. Small companies and some public or government employers may have different rules.

I have to say that I really enjoyed my time off. As my coworker (who went out on leave two days before my son’s arrival) pointed out, I was pretty lucky. There was no hospital stay or recovery time for me. I got to jump right in and have a lot of fun with my son. He arrived in June so the summer was ours. I couldn’t have planned it better. Of course, those of you who have been through the process know that there is really no way to plan for anything.

If you would like to comment, but not on this site, please e-mail me at adoptkoreablog@adoptionmail.com.