Maternity leave is something that working mums in Singapore need to plan out thoroughly. Just imagine you’re near your expected due date (EDD), your tummy’s still getting bigger, you’re aching in places that you never knew could ache, and then there’s work the next day.
According to the Ministry of Manpower, mums are eligible for 16 weeks of paid maternity leave (ML)if they meet these requirements:
For your first and second births, your first 8 weeks are employer-paid (which they can claim from the government), and your last 8 weeks are government-paid.
For your third and subsequent births, all 16 weeks are government-paid.
When Should You Take Your Maternity Leave?
You can either choose to take the entire 16 weeks of ML continuously at once, starting at 4 weeks before your EDD. If you decide to do it this way, Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays are included as part of those days of leave, so some mums consider it a waste of leave.
Alternatively, you can talk to your employer and come to an agreement on how flexible your ML will be, which would be the best outcome for you to maximise your maternity leave!
If you’ve got a flexible arrangement with your employer, you can decide how soon or late you wish to begin your ML. Some mums decide to start their leave 4 weeks before delivery, others choose to do it 2 weeks before, and some even work up until their EDD!
Here’s an example:
With a default arrangement, your ML will be from 25 Feb 2018 to 16 June 2018 (4 weeks before EDD and 12 weeks after delivery).
With a flexible arrangement, you can choose to go on ML on 25 March 2018 to 19 May 2018, and then decide when to use your remaining 8 weeks of leave from 20 May 2018 to 24 March 2019 (12 months after you’ve delivered).
We Ask Mummies How They Managed Their ML
“I worked all the way till I delivered cos I hate to waste my leaves sitting at home doing nothing! I went back to work after 14 weeks of ML. The remaining days I put on standby for doctor visits.” – Daphne Chen
“I used up all my annual leave 1 week before my EDD since I needed to clear it anyway. Then continued maternity leave when baby was born. I took 10 weeks of ML and subsequently had 4-day work week till I finished all my ML.” – Lee Hui Ling
“I started my ML from the day I gave birth and went back to work after 12 weeks. The remaining 4 weeks converted to 20 working days. More worth it!” – Tracie Goh
“I started my ML at 36 weeks cos I wanted to rest. Felt very tired and was having frequent Braxton Hicks. Didn’t want my water bag to break at work! I used up all 16 weeks at once.” – Jacqlyn Tan
Remember to plan your ML around public holidays if you can! Here’s a list of PH for 2018:
Credit: Ministry of Manpower
Can I Use My Hospitalisation Leave?
In some cases, your gynaecologist will provide you with Hospitalisation Leave (HL) but they’ll ask you to get bed rest at home instead. This is due to the fact that most of us have 14 days of medical leave, and over 40 days of HL.
HL is usually given if you’ve got medical conditions (touch wood!) such as spotting, high blood pressure/preeclampsia, a low lying placenta, and other conditions that your gynae believes might pose a health risk to either you or your unborn child.
Proper check-ups and medication will be given to you, and you’ll most likely be asked to be warded for a few days for the check-ups before you’re able to head back home to be on bed rest.
Some companies might ask to use your ML instead of HL, especially if you’re 36 weeks pregnant and on. Do check with your human resource department about the validity of your HL – for more serious cases, they’ll usually be understanding enough.
Something for the Dads too
Dads will also get the benefit of going on Paternity Leave (PL) for them to help their wife and baby out with things such as medical check-ups – they’re entitled to 2 weeks of paid PL if they fulfil the same requirements as mum, with the exception of:
They’ll be able to take their 2 weeks of PL at once, within 16 weeks after baby is born. Or if they’re able to come to an agreement with their employer, they can either take 2 weeks any time within 12 months after birth, or to split the 2 weeks into working days and take them in any combination within 12 months.
The way the working days is counted is 2 X (number of working days in the week), and is capped at 6 working days per week. For example, if you’re working for 5 days a week, you’ll have 10 days of flexible paternity leave to allocate.
Mums can also choose to transfer up to 4 weeks of their ML to the dad’s PL via shared parental leave (unfortunately, dads aren’t able to return the favour)!
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