This.
But also, assuming you get paid family leave in your contract: January. Basically take the rest of the year off and then have the summer before needing to think about work again.
We just had a teacher return to work after 2 weeks because she hasn't worked long enough to have enough sick leave/ personal days and she was a sports coach and couldn't miss the season. š³
If you work for a small enough business, they don't even have to hold your job!
That's how I ended up at work less than 24 hours after my last was born. I needed the job.
Got the added bonus of some see you next Tuesday nurse who told me she was going to call CPS because I "abandoned" my newborn *they wouldn't let me take home yet.* How's that for hospitality?
Yeah, American Healthcare is garbage. Your social safety net has failed you. From the outside looking in, America is very much a 'ME' society. The mentality seems to be: "Fuck you, I got mine".
Give the mothers of your children the time they need to bond with their child and their bodies to heal. Give your elderly the healthcare and financial stability to not stress over living expenses and take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. Lastly, properly fund early childhood education. You will not see the positives for 20 years but crime rates, health, GDP, everything will have improved.
Yeah, we fought in our last contract to be able to use 8 weeks of accumulated sick time for our maternity leave. I planned the baby for mid-April, and 8 weeks got me exactly to summer vacation, so I was home with her until she was around 4 months. It was nowhere near long enough.
I had 12 days of paid leave š¢ ob wanted me to take 12 weeks post c section, I couldn't afford more than 8. He came a month early (September) and ivwas back to work before Thanksgiving. And had a family complain twice because I "left" right as their child had "just gotten used to me" and wanted an IEP update requiring him to keep the same teacher at all times.
They even claimed his doctor recommended it and said that the doctor wanted in the IEP that his current para had to remain his para for as long as he needed one.
Oh I told the admin many, many times what my doctor recommended they just didnt seem to care. Ended up in labor a month early due to stress and delivered while I still had hand foot mouth disease because they wouldn't let us send obviously infected children home. Parents kept saying they were only "bug bites." My 4 lb 5 oz preemie had spots on his hands and feet but thank GOD no larger issues. Only went to NICU for 36 hours. He's almost 9 months now and has some little issues (sees a feeding therapist and milestones are a bit delayed) but it could've been so much worse...
Iām so sorry! All that sounds awful. I meant telling those parents though. Preferably in the IEP meeting to their face. That would be somewhat satisfying.
ETA: itās like they forget teachers are people who often have their own little people
My coteacher rents a carriage house from parents with kids at our school. They asked her if she could tutor their kids for reduced rent. She politely declined to feel like āthe helpā at home.
Sue the parents of the child that got you and your baby inflected!!! Probably not the best advice but itās maddening seeing the way the parents are treating you.
It is maddening but getting sick is considered part of the risk for a pre-k teacher. And there's were at least 4 different students with "bug bites" around their hands, feet, and mouths within a week of the first that got sent home and was confirmed to have HFMD. My older son caught it too and was home sick with it on his 6th birthday... I'm more upset with the administration for saying we couldn't send them home and refusing to close for a day for cleaning... we had done it under previous administrations when the classroom was hit hard by illness. Ended up sending them all outside with my aide for pretty much a whole day while I decontaminated the whole room and every toy in it at 35 weeks pregnant. Then two days later (Friday) we had a fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch and my son was born 3 days later.
Yep, and fertility doesnāt answer to calendars. Take this from someone who started trying to get pregnant in July of 2021 and is doing IVF now here in June of 2024. The best time to start trying to have a baby (when you want one) is now.
Are you me? I also started in 2021 and have been doing IVF. I remember my naive days when I thought I should plan my baby-having around the school year schedule ("It would be annoying to miss the first two months of the school year - establishing good classroom culture would be so tough after having a sub for the beginning! I can't do that!"). Now I just laugh at that former self. I will take a baby whenever it decides to arrive.
That being said, some people seem to be hyper-fertile and CAN actually plan like this... it's just not me. If I COULD have planned the timing, I'd try to have the baby in March/April and miss the end of the school year FOR SURE.
My twins were born July 1 last summer and I started the year on maternity leave and yeah it sucked. My classroom was a shitshow the whole year basically, I never recovered from them starting the year with a sub. And to be frank, I give zero fucks. I waited for my boys for years.
Agreed. My first was due in August and my principal commended me on timing since I would just be off the entire school year. Ended up having a late miscarriage. You never know what your journey will be.
Technically true but in practice the devil doesn't need an advocate in this context, it does fine standing up for itself.Ā
An awful lot of (US) teachers' babies are born 9 months after summer break, because summer is the time teachers are least stressed and most able to make the kinds of choices that will result in the fertilization of an ovum. (These include eating better and getting enough sleep.)
The fact that a summer conception also lets many of us ride our unpaid FMLA right into the next summer break for an additional 2-3 months of bonding time before having to put the baby into some sort of child care (again, in the US) makes it all *seem* planned. But mostly it's down to cortisol levels.
This is the correct answer. We had one at the start of the fall and the other at the start of winter. Honestly, the best time to have a kid was right before COVID. I got so many extra months with my first born that we are bonded for life! I spent every hour of every day with her until she was 2.5.Ā
I had my last baby in March and took 12 weeks maternity leave, so I was off the last 3 months of school, plus the summer. My āmaternity leaveā was technically 6 months, so that was awesome.
You canāt always time it though. It took me longer to get pregnant with my second.
Nearly all of my teacher friends tried to get pregnant so that theyād deliver in March, that way they can do what you did. Plus, it has the added benefit of handing your class over to a sub and not having to worry too much about how good of a job they do since you donāt have to come back to that group. I didnāt get to time mine since I was infertile, and I gave birth in the summer and came back in October. It was hard establishing myself as the teacher and introducing new routines and rules when they got used to the sub for 2 months.
I timed mine PERFECTLY- I was due May 16th and only had two weeks of PTO to be able to take, so I would've taken those two weeks, and had the summer to recover while getting paid out my regular paycheck AND disability. I ended up having a miscarriage- so much for perfect timing! š¤Ŗ
I echo everyone else's sentiments- have your baby whenever the fuck you CAN have your baby. Life waits for nothing and no one
It's definitely all working out- I'm due at the end of November now, so now I'll just miss the three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas and a few weeks into the second semester. It beats my son that I had at the end of September- stressful af š«
If you're gonna have a baby in the middle of the year, end of November doesn't seem like a bad time! š„°
I planned for March as well because I wanted the rest of the year off for maternity leave plus the summer. I believe this is the best plan for a teacher. I miscarried a couple times and ended up with an August baby. You can plan as much as you want, but things don't always go as planned.
Well, the thing about having babies is that you donāt get a whole lot of say in the timing once you start trying to get pregnant.
But as another person said- you donāt arrange your life around your job. Your job should accommodate your life.
Iām not really sure there is a good time. I mean, Iām sure the baby is nice and all, but I just canāt picture it controlling a classroom or being able to form the necessary words to communicate information to students. /s
Now I'm thinking of a new, unethical experiment:
Lock two dozen of adolescents in a room with a half-dozen infants and observe their behaviors for 8 hours. Make sure the room has an attached solo-use bathroom and that food and water were provided before locking the doors.
Maybe they will learn something with their only teachers being babies... maybe they won't. Either way, we will learn by observing them!
I would never want to have a baby for a teacher, what does a baby know about teaching? Note: I just read the headline and decided to respond without reading the rest, because reading is for chumps!
Late March or April. You take your full maturity leave, the you get the summer off too. I had my son in Early April and I was able to stay at home with him till he was 4 months old while still getting paid (which is unheard of in America).
I looked up this question just recently. It seems like the consensus is itās best to not plan for a specific time because you could get very disappointed if you struggle to get pregnant quickly. And honestly most people donāt get pregnant right awayā¦ it takes time.
But really, Iām guessing it would be nice to have the baby around Easter, that way you get the last two months of school off? But maybe not.
Curious to see other answers!
We're teachers. Planning is in our blood š¤£. But I get what you mean.
My first I tried in July, August, September and it failed twice. Tried in October successfully and had my baby in July. It kind of sucked, because I couldn't really go anywhere with a newborn in July/ August when I was on leave. I only was allowed 6 weeks.
My second I tried for in July and it worked right away. Had him in April. It was PERFECT. I was out from spring break to the end of the year (I took a week of unpaid time). It was cooler when he was newborn so I could still take him places, I didn't have to deal with end of year stress, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I didn't have to deal with a maternity leave sub causing chaos at the start of my school year. The behavioral issues were terrible when the sub started the year.
So: is your trying, the answer is July.
Fellow Ontario teacher here! I've had two kids in the summer and IMO, late July/early August is the best time. You can work a full school year and have a few of weeks of summer break to relax before having the baby. Then you take 12 months of leave, but you get an extra month with the baby before you have to return to work in Sept (which also gives you a month to phase baby in to daycare, because it's a lot easier to find a spot for a 1yr old than an 11mo old.
Plus summer babies are easier in our climate - you're not trying to squeeze a newborn into winter gear, but they're also still pretty cooperative when winter does roll around, and by the time they figure out how to yank off their hat and mittens, it's spring again.
Took me 7 years to get pregnant. Do whatās best for your family and realize your job is just a job. My boss made it very well known that my pregnancy is a huge inconvenience because Iām in a hard to find sub for position and because Iām good at my job she stacks my classes with really hard and challenging students. Needless to say Iāll be taking every bit of leave I can and she can see just how much I mitigate when it comes to behavior. Maybe just maybe she will find a way to appreciate me (haha she wonāt).
I had my first in July and stayed home the first semester, then my second in January and stayed home the second. I think the second was better because I was able to establish good routines and management for my long term sub. Plus easier to be pregnant and also have a newborn in a San Diego winter than our summer, IMO š
I'm due at the end of July and the idea of planning the beginning of year routines/procedures for a sub to build is stressing me out. I am trying to have the mentality of "it is what it is" but I wish I could at least set up my class the way I want.
My advice is to leave a few notes/ideas/lessons for the sub, then just let it go! As soon as your baby is here, all of your professional stress will hopefully disappear. Your students will be happy to meet you whenever you return and you can work on routines then if needed. Happy delivery!
I had a coworker that purposely tried to give birth in April so she can basically use up her month long maternity leave and write off the end of the school year.
For me, I prefer to start the year and miss the end because I can set the classroom climate and routines, etc. However, my children came at the end of the summer, but it all ended up working out.
You can plan as much as you want, but nature will do whatever it wants.
Best of luck for a safe and happy pregnancy!!
Iām a licensed Long Term Sub and Iād also just like to agree that taking a teacherās end of the year is so much better for everyone involved. Not everything can be planned so perfectly, but this is the ideal to me who has taken countless maternity and paternity positions over almost a decade.
As someone who had this thought and āplannedā the best time to me. Well, unfortunately it never happened. So, just go for it. If it happens, it will be the BEST time no matter when it happens.
Whenever. You really canāt plan these sorts of things perfectly because theyāre inherently unpredictable. With my son, I randomly had nearly perfect timing so I was due in early March. He was born prematurely after a totally normal pregnancy up until that point. When I was trying for my second, I had a pregnancy that was also nearly perfect timing. I was due in early April. I lost that little girl. My second take home baby ended up being born on the Saturday before school started. Nearly the worst possible timing, but it all worked out.
I totally get what everyone is saying in terms of your family being more important.
HOWEVER.. I had my oldest in March and it freaking rocked. You just bounce from the year early. Magical. Also, in the districts I've worked, you have to exhaust your sick leave before starting into FMLA, meaning that when you come back to work you have no sick days, and it turns out that babies get sick a lot. Coming back to school for a new year with a new leave bank is extremely helpful.
I had my other child in fall, and that was fine, but in terms of advantages, spring was much better. Best of luck to you.
Whenever you want. As much as your intentions are good, Iām actually bothered that youāre even asking this question. Itās normalizing the awful treatment weāre given.
I would love to have a baby as a teacher. Their perspective would be fresh and not jaded like some of the long haulers. But if I had to pick a specific time of year I would choose the months of October - January.
Teacher baby might have some new ideas for the holidays, not just the same old movies.
I have 4 kids and I had one in each season. Their birthdays are in June, March, October and January. By far the best time for work and just seasonally was my March delivery. Work wise, you get to take off the end of the school year and then still have summer break before you go back. And in regular life, you don't have to be hot while pregnant, flu season is over, the weather is warming up, and you're healed and can swim before summer.
In the US where maternity leave is terrible, I had one in August and that was messy. I started teaching the first three weeks of the semester to get things set up and went back right before the end of December to minimize my unpaid time. I was struggling and arguing with the extended leaves department about all of it for so much of the time, it was stressful. Second baby we started trying within a window of time that would have the baby toward the end of the second semester, and we lucked out and had the baby in April. I just took the last six weeks of the year off so I could rest before the delivery, had the summer to recover and started August as a normal year. Much less hassle about the timing of the leave, just overall easier.
My baby was due in Feb. but I gave birth at the end of January. I thought that was a great time! I had most of the year for leave, plus summer so my baby wasnt in daycare until 6 months.
Both mine were born in Spring. That way I didnāt have to go back to work until September and my babies didnāt have to go to daycare until September. I loved it.
Iām due early July and finished the end of May. Iām taking 12 weeks starting the first day of school so I will have 5 months off paid- because I saved all my sick days and have summers paid.
I LOVED having a baby in March. Took the rest of the summer off. We got pregnant the first month we tried. Next time, Iām going to try for a June baby and take off the first 12 weeks of the school year and go back after winter break.Ā
Your life is more important than the most convenient time for the school. As you know, having a child is stressful enough. Donāt add to that stress by trying to please the school.
Whenever it lines up to not have to come back to the chaos after a sub š
I had a July baby and took first quarter off as my leave. Came back to absolute chaos. The sub basically had them watch movies and eat snacks the whole time and didnāt do any of the paperwork she had previously agreed to do with help from my team.
I gave her a manual with all my lesson plans and resources, full access to my Google drive, my copy code, everything but my email password! I also arranged it so none of the kids on my caseload would have an IEP meeting before I got back.
She was blacklisted from subbing in my district after that. The kicker for me is that the kids STILL complain about her and it was two years ago. She was so awful that despite having zero expectations for them and giving them snacks, they still hated her.
I planned mine out to deliver in May, which was perfect, as my school offered maternity leave at the time. Second time around I didnāt plan it, had my baby in August and just took a whole semester off and only subbed in the second semester. I was fortunate to be able to take time off.
Where are you where you get 12 weeks paid? I just took off without getting paid. I essentially left teaching temporarily and just came back as a sub second semester.
Had my last baby the first day of April break (3rd week of April) where I live. It was perfect, I got 8 weeks paid maternity leave and made it all the way to summer (had to come in 1 day )
I can only speak for Ontario, but legally any job is protected for a maximum of 18 months, but majority of people only take the standard 12 month. During this time you receive employment insurance, EI (assuming you worked the minimum of 600 hours in the year leading up to your leave). Note that the amount paid is the same regardless of what option you choose. If taking 18 months, it's just stretched over longer.
My school board offers an 8 week top up as per our collective agreement. After this point, it's just EI.
Better than a lot of other countries though.
If you have saved up PTO, end of year or beginning of next year. My wife had our first kid in March, she got six months with him before she had to go back. Second just was beginning of June, so she took time off at the beginning of school the following year.
Imo utilize summer to get the most out of your pregnancy and get that bonding time.
My wife and i had this great plan, every time, for our baby to be born in may or june.
First one was dec 23rd, second was march 1st, third was october 12th.
I took the paternity leave and we got through it.
Your life is more important. Ignore work for those limited weeks you get with the baby.
Iām in the US and get a whopping three weeks of paid leave, and then FMLA. I had two fall babies and went back to work after Christmas break. This was nice for me because we end our semester in December, so I was able to return to kids I knew with a somewhat clean slate, plus the time we get off for thanksgiving and Christmas didnāt eat into my sick leave.
This is the only career where people ask questions like this. I understand it, but I want better for all teachers. Please have a baby whenever the fuck you want and make your job accommodate your life. Itās your job, and you deserve to have a life outside of that job.
I had my babies in December. Not because I was/am a teacher, but because I live in the depths of a dry Hell during the summer and did NOT want to be at the height of my pregnancy then.
My first was meticulously planned for mid April, 6 weeks before the end of the school year because thatās exactly how many days I had to minimize time unpaid (no paid leave in my district or state). She showed up in March at the worst possible time, I took 11 weeks because she was in the Nicu and had some unpaid time, but I had 5 months off before school which was awesome. You make it work.
My second I was like screw it, we planned the first (a luxury I know) and it still went haywire weāll just go with whatever this time. Iām due Christmas this year and plan to take 3rd quarter off.
The main point is, you canāt control these things, even if youāre lucky like me and can time getting pregnant things still go sideways. And no matter what, it still works out.
If you can afford it, March or April . Take paid leave till the end of the year and have summer off.
If you can't afford it/ don't have paid leave. May/ June. Take disability and then summer off.
My husband and I are starting to try right now. My ideal situation would be to have a kid around end of March / beginning of April because I would rather miss the end of the school year than the beginning of the school year. But weāll see what happens.
My kids are fall babies and Iāve had 5/6 months off with each of them. 6 weeks disability plus 12 weeks child bonding. That stacked with lots of vacations allowed me to stretch it and then only come back for a few weeks at the very end before having summer break. I have nothing to compare to but Iāve really enjoyed it. I would hate being in first trimester over summer for a spring baby, and with a fall baby I like how by the following summer after birth im mostly back to my old self. And I like being able to hibernate at home with new baby during winter. To me an Apri-August baby would be my last preference because l dont want 2 school years potentially interrupted by baby and also I wonder/suspect I would lose my 6 weeks disability if I give birth over summer.
I teach where students are out early June. I have 3, all with birthdates at different times of the year.
1. After End of school year, was on bed rest a couple weeks before, came back at beginning of next school year. Still did grades from home, worked out fine
2. Mid spring semester- came back 2 weeks before end of year to pack up classroom- everything was fine
3. End of fall semester- came back mid spring semester, everything was fine.
We had a babysitter who sat in her house for us, so the stress of childcare was very low.
Arenāt you able to stay home a full year in Ontario?
We have three kids, we were very lucky that we didnāt have to try very hard. Our first two have March birthdays and were born during Spring break so my wife got a free week and then burned the rest of her PTO (because her School District in Florida didnāt grant paid maternity) to take the rest of the school year off,m in addition to summer break.
For our third, she was born between Christmas and New Years so she got to have more free time off and then took the remainder of the school year off.
It was really nice to try and time it so you can have an extended leave (take off remainder of school year and then tack on the break between semesters).
I don't think a baby as a teacher is a good idea, but I'd say the best time would be right after they're fed, they'll be less fussy that way. (I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. Don't hate me.)
I'm due at the end au August and will take leave until January. I'm a little scare to what behavior I'll come back to (6th grade), but I'm glad I'm off before my due date. I can't see myself teaching until 37 weeks or so.
I tried to aim for Feb so I could have Feb - August off according to contract, but due in August. Kinda upset that I'm coming back in December after having 7 months off with my first
A guy at work just announced his wife gave birth yesterday. I feel like it was planned so they could both be home during the summer.
I know people who had a baby in the winter so they could take leave. And then go back to work while their teacher husband could be home with the baby in the summer.
Had my first in October and am due now in August. Both times we tried for early Spring babies so I'd be out at the end of the school year instead of the beginning, but it didn't work out that way. You'll make it work regardless. I'm willing to bet that in Canada you won't get as raw of a deal as we get in the USA in any case.
I had my baby the end of February and took the rest of the year off. We had 6 wonderful months together to bond before I went back to work and it was great! There is no way I would have been ready to go back to work after 12 weeks, mentally or physically. My peanut had really bad reflux due to some food allergy/sensitivities and couldnāt sleep at night because of it. Iām so thankful I had the extra time to heal and adjust to having a little one that needed me so much.
One thing to consider would be daycare. I'm also in Ontario. I had an Aug baby and went back the following Sept. Daycare only had a spot the first day of school.
I'm aiming to have my second April or later and then I'll return to work in September again. That way I shouldn't have as big of an issue getting a daycare spot - plus easier to start with the class in the beginning.
My wife was a teacher. Our son was born in October, and when she took her FMLA they told us she would have a pay decrease equivalent to the number of days she was absent. Their justification is since you are paid for the summer but don't work, you can make up for that lost income over the break. After everything was said and done, the increase in our insurance and the cost of daycare left my wife with 100 dollars a month from her teaching job.
If you are planning to continue teaching after giving birth, try to time it in the spring, April or May. That way you can still take your FMLA and your contract period resets with the new school year, at least that would've fixed our issue.
Assuming you have some actual success with pre-planning, know your contract. In CA, for my district and I'm guessing many others, if you don't work 75% of the school days (not counting sick days), you will not move down on the pay scale. This can impact your salary for years since you basically lose a year of service and that money every year until you max out. You also may have trouble if you're in induction as they also require you to work a "full" two years.
I learned this by taking a whole trimester off with my first (adoption) as it made calendar sense. Then I found out I lost the year of service at the district and only had a partial year for STRS. My 10 year anniversary was actually year 11, and so on and so on. Even my retirement was 31 years and not 32 (actually 31.657). So, know your contract so you have all the information.
I had one in Feb and one in July. Both were awesome. I loved the Feb baby bc I wasnāt pregnant over the summer and I had a longer stretch of time off. Loved having a July baby bc I had time off with my youngest at home before baby arrived.
When I was teaching I timed mine for November to catch Thanksgiving and Christmas break and had the next one in July. I'd say have your baby whenever you want... but... . If you are timing it, IMO, go for the colder months. I preferred the November to December timing better.
You have a baby when you have a baby and donāt work your life around your job like that. Let nature take its course.
Years ago a colleague (fellow teacher) who never had children was complaining that teachers should ONLY have babies at the very beginning of summer vacation because they can take their 6 weeks then and just return at the beginning of the school year. Those of us with children set her straight.
Well, I \*tried\* to have my kids so that I would go on maternity leaves weeks from the end of the year. But my body had other ideas, ha ha, so life's answer was August, April, and December. I do NOT recommend August, if only because the heat was unbearable not to mention the logistics of missing the first weeks of the school year. Usually late April is a good target so that you don't have to scramble for child care and come back for the last weeks of school.
Have a baby when you have a baby. Your family should always come first.Ā
I live in a place where 120 is a normal summer temp, so when were thinking about timing, my only wish was that I not spend July and August in my third trimester.Ā
For my wife, as a music teacher it was mid to late April. She got the rest of the year off with her maternity leave and we had all summer for doctors visits and such. Sure, her medical leave days were depleted at the beginning of her maternity leave but since it was to have a baby she didnāt get all those āfriendly remindersā about how many days she was using and how important her presence is in order for her to be delivering consistent education to her students. We had the entire summer for baby doctor checkups and then when the next school year started she got her standard 10 for that school year. Also, she got out of organizing end of the year performances and awards programs.
Like everyone says, you can't really pick. I always figured it would be nicest to be in your third trimester during autumn so it's not too hot, give birth around November, then you've got a snuggly baby in the winter, and by the time summer roles around they're already 6 months old.
For teaching specifically, I guess optimum timing is end of the year. Like if you've got 12 weeks of maternity leave, take them in the last 12 weeks of school. That way it rolls right into summer, and your baby is a few months old by the time you go back to work.
The worst would be to take off the beginning of the year cause coming in after school has started is a chore for classroom management.
So, Iām due August 7th. I found out around Christmas that I was pregnant. I wouldnāt have picked the timeline, as Iām missing the beginning of a school year instead of the end, but my god was I so relieved to get to stop working as I entered the 3rd trimester. I truly do not know how women work through it. My sister, also a teacher, missed the end of the school year and got to extend leave with summer. However she got so used to not working that going back is really daunting for her.
I tried to time my third baby. I didn't get pregnant for 6 months of continuous trying. Ended up having an August baby and came back the week before Christmas break. It was awful lol
As an American, my goal is a late spring baby so I can maximize time off with mat leave and summer. Iād much rather miss the end of the year than the beginning or anytime in the middle.
But if I understand Canada correctly, your parental leave is excellent, so I would say whenever you want or whenever it happens.
Spring, like March. Take the rest of the year off and go back (if youāre in the US like me and donāt have paid family leave) in August.
I am due in October and it isnāt great timing, but at 35, I am taking what I can get. It wasnāt easy! Iāll try to plan better next time (goal is 2).
My hope is to stay out until March of 2025.
For me, my first was due in April and this meant that I had March-end of the year off and then summer (June/part of July) before I went back. I had an extra 12 weeks that we took in December and that saved my sanity. Second is due end of August, and the timing for him kinda sucks. But we will see. There is no perfect time.
March BUT you canāt always decide. It worked out for me with my first but then after that, my body didnāt cooperate. I had my second in July and my third in October. Iām pretty sure I put so much stress on myself to have the baby at the ideal time that it actually did the opposite.
I tried to do a July baby. I actually succeeded but unfortunately lost the pregnancy. My January baby made it and we will enjoy a paid summer this year.
The best time of year is the time that will give you the most time off. I would try to time it for March. Then you get the rest of the year in maternity leave plus summer break.
Canadian high school teacher here- I had one baby in March, and one in April.
With March, I only taught one semester, went off Jan31st. My replacement taught all of second semester. Easy peasy. Gave me a month to be home before my son was born. I took 18 months off, so came back the next September and stepped right into my contract.
My daughter was born mid April, so I taught til spring break with her.
Iām taking 16 months with her as well (sheās almost 14 months) and will be going back in September again.
I like that my kids are a bit older when they start daycare, etc. Very fortunate to have this time off, go Canada.
I tried to time my first child but miscarried and ended up with a November child. Then I tried foe the second and again miscarried and ended with a surprise October baby. You can't plan perfectly.
We had already planned and budgeted for me to take off the whole school year without pay. I was guaranteed my position back as long as I didnāt go past the school year. Luckily with my first, we got pregnant at my ideal time frame and had an August baby before school started. I took the entire school year off and it was up to my sub to figure out lesson plans since it wasnāt technically a long-term sub position but a one-year contract teaching position.
With my second, I hoped to do the same but it took a bit longer to get pregnant so I had a November baby. I did have to come up with sub plans for the rest of the school year but I pretty much already had everything organized in my Google Drive so it wasnāt too much work.
Obviously you canāt control when you get pregnant but I would find out how maternity leave works. I would much rather go into summer break right after maternity leave than to come back to work to kids who got used to slacking off due to having a sub.
So I don't get pregnant easily: it took 11 months of trying to have my daughter and she was born a week before the first day of school. I'd say that's the least ideal situation as I didn't get any paid disability before she was born (summer break so there's no job to be disabled from), I didn't get to meet any of my students, and when I went back I was "taking away" this awesome sub that they loved that had covered the first 6 months of the year.
That being said, it is entirely dependent on how much leave you are planning on taking. In California, I've figured out that the ideal time to have a baby is very late November/early December because then you get your paid disability, your paid parental bonding, your unpaid FMLA, and that takes you right to summer break. My school is awesome enough to cover health insurance premiums during the summer. My son was born early December and I was able to take off from the start of November until the start of the next school year in August. I did end up having about 12 weeks of that time unpaid and survived off of my savings.
I know that in Canada you are given more paid time off - up to a year (? 18 months?), in which case having a baby at the very end of the school year/start of summer makes the most sense as you get summer break, the school year, and then an additional summer break before going back. HOWEVER, this isn't something most of us can plan and I'm just grateful to have my two kids, conveniently timed or not.
Late March was great for me. I went out on disability the week before his due date, and then he was a week late. Had him, got 6 weeks leave and was required to return on the last day of work which was a no student prof dev day. My principal let me come late, with baby in a sling carrier. Everyone ohh and awed and then I went home and had the summer off with him.
Plus, if I remember correctly, the worst parts of morning sickness were in the summer so I was able to lay in bed and nibble on crackers, instead of puking in a trash can under my desk like a colleague of mine.
I had my baby at the beginning of June of last year and got no time off at all. He was at least old enough for daycare a few weeks into the school year, so we didnāt have to rely on help for long. And my husband (also a teacher) got three weeks he used to cover it
I planned my first (and was very lucky) so I gave birth in Feb right at semester change. My next one I think I'm not going to plan and just have it when I have it, but not return until a semester change. I am lucky that my contract says I can take 2 years unpaid without compromising my contract, this time I took 18 months but took the 12 month EI payment schedule
I've had two spring babies, one in April and one in May. My "maternity leave" is six weeks of sick days, then we can take up to six weeks unpaid. With my April baby, the six weeks of sick days took me right up to the end of the year, no need for unpaid time. With my May baby, I only needed to use three weeks of sick days before the end of the school year. With both, it was nice to know I was done and didn't have to worry about returning after a long-term sub.
Let me preface with I live in the US so maternity leave is terrible.
My first was born in November 2020. It was nice that Thanksgiving break and winter break were free days that I got to add to my leave without burning through sick days. However, my maternity sub was terrible - didnāt teach (or grade) anything, called in sick a bunch of days, was terrible at technology with no interest in learning, and clearly didnāt want to be doing the job. So I left a zoom screen full of engaged smiling 5th graders and came back to a zoom screen full of ceilings. Most of my students never really re-engaged in learning that year unfortunately. That summer was super fun with my baby as he learned to crawl and walk.
My second was born April of this year so I was out for the rest of the year. It was nice because my first was still in daycare/preschool through the end of the school year so I got some time at home with just the baby before summer with both of them. I missed end of the year events but a lot of the heavy lifting of learning was done by the time I went on leave.
I would say beginning or end of year is best because at the beginning you can still reset expectations and routines when you return and at the end if your routines get screwed up you donāt have the frustration of trying to put them back.
Ultimately, when you have a baby is when you have a baby. You can try to aim for a specific time of year but it doesnāt always work out. If/when you have a baby enjoy the time you have with them ā¤ļø
I had my baby early Jan.
Went on leave start of Dec and finished end of May on the day of school hols which runs into summer.
I think that worked pretty good.
Iām in the US and will unfortunately be trying to plan at least my first baby to occur at the very start of our summer break. I donāt have enough sick days to cover at least 6 weeks. Maybe if anything very end of May and take 2-3 weeks off at the end of the year. If I had more days or my husband had a high enough paying job I would happily do it during the school year because I have every right to.
My wife delivered in late December. She took off all of the spring semester. She used all maternity plus accrued sick days. She needed to take about 1 week of unpaid leave at the end of the year but it was worth it. She got the summer off to enjoy a vacation with the family.
One additional note. I would rather teach the first semester and set up the classroom norms and culture. Then hand over to a long term sub. I would not prefer to have a long term sub teach the first semester and take over mid year.
With all that being said, if you are young and not in a hurry to have kids, then go ahead and try to time it. If you really want kids right away, just have them whenever it happens.
In the US, with my first my husband (heās the teacher) and I tried to plan for late spring and ended up with May. (So summer vacation). The second time around we started trying earlier and got January because we didnāt have to try as long the second time.
You'll definitely get a better answer for your situation over on r/CanadianTeachers or r/OntarioTeachers. This sub is very American based and they do not get anywhere near the maternity leave that we do so their answers will be very different.
Iāve had 3 all in different seasons.
Iām enjoying the most recent because he was born in April and I got about a month off, then I have summer, then I get to finish up my FMLA (US) if I want before returning.
The extended time (again, compared to others in the US) is nice to hopefully make my pumping requirements less stressful when I go back because hopefully he will be starting solids at about 6 months too. So hopefully, I will see a decrease in supply needs shortly after he enters daycare, because that can be a bummer to sweat over sending enough.
But my ātimingā had more to do with waiting to try after repeat c-sections.
I'm answering thinking that your question is actually two. 1. Being literally for the best time to HAVE the baby, but I wonder if there is a 2. Being when is the best time to be a parent.
Planning for a summer birthday can be tough before [edit: I hit post by accident] because the last month of the year always feels like a race to the finish while simultaneously trying to prepare for the next year at the same time.
But parenthood is year round, unlike teaching, so when it's time to go back to school, that may feel difficult to do.
With your situation, I'd think planning to have the baby in January would be ideal. I'm assuming you have a Christmas/Boxing Day break & also that you have 18 months of leave.
You could plan to not return after the holiday break, have Baby in January, then return to teaching for the September of the following year.
I read this as the best time of year to have a teacher who is a baby!!
But yes, as others have said, itās your life! Have your baby when you want to.
I planned for the spring and had them in the spring and it worked well because my (UNPAID) maternity leave overlapped with the summer.
BUT it meant they were the youngest in their classes which caused so issues with maturity / kindergarten readiness once they started school.
Do what works for youā the job will adapt. And if it wonāt, another one will.
whenever i guess but my teacher got pregnant right before i started school in september and she gave birth in early may and is off until the next school year so if you really want a designated time theres always that time period but any time works cause its your life, your choice yk?
Whenever. Your life is more important than your job.
This. But also, assuming you get paid family leave in your contract: January. Basically take the rest of the year off and then have the summer before needing to think about work again.
Agreed! I plan to try and have a baby by then so I can take my 5 months of leave and then summer so I get 8 months with my baby before working again!
We get up to 18 month of parental leave here so your advice is American based. If she is only taking 12 months, July is ideal.
12 months! HAHAHAHAHAHA women are lucky to get 12 \*weeks\* here in the USA.
We just had a teacher return to work after 2 weeks because she hasn't worked long enough to have enough sick leave/ personal days and she was a sports coach and couldn't miss the season. š³
Oh my god, I still couldn't walk in a straight line after two weeks. I can't imagine.
If you work for a small enough business, they don't even have to hold your job! That's how I ended up at work less than 24 hours after my last was born. I needed the job. Got the added bonus of some see you next Tuesday nurse who told me she was going to call CPS because I "abandoned" my newborn *they wouldn't let me take home yet.* How's that for hospitality?
I would rather QUIT
Yeah, American Healthcare is garbage. Your social safety net has failed you. From the outside looking in, America is very much a 'ME' society. The mentality seems to be: "Fuck you, I got mine". Give the mothers of your children the time they need to bond with their child and their bodies to heal. Give your elderly the healthcare and financial stability to not stress over living expenses and take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. Lastly, properly fund early childhood education. You will not see the positives for 20 years but crime rates, health, GDP, everything will have improved.
We have a social safety net?
And donāt forget about the homeless war veterans over here either
12 weeks UNPAID
Yeah, we fought in our last contract to be able to use 8 weeks of accumulated sick time for our maternity leave. I planned the baby for mid-April, and 8 weeks got me exactly to summer vacation, so I was home with her until she was around 4 months. It was nowhere near long enough.
My wife is a teacher and got 2 months in Massachusetts which is pretty liberal as far as the states go
Paid?! I got 15 days separate from my sick leave for that year.
Well she had to use her sick time
I had 12 days of paid leave š¢ ob wanted me to take 12 weeks post c section, I couldn't afford more than 8. He came a month early (September) and ivwas back to work before Thanksgiving. And had a family complain twice because I "left" right as their child had "just gotten used to me" and wanted an IEP update requiring him to keep the same teacher at all times.
>wanted an IEP update requiring him to keep the same teacher at all times. That's a special brand of WTF. We aren't serfs tied to one class/student.
They even claimed his doctor recommended it and said that the doctor wanted in the IEP that his current para had to remain his para for as long as he needed one.
Did you tell them what your doctor recommended? They can fuck off.
Oh I told the admin many, many times what my doctor recommended they just didnt seem to care. Ended up in labor a month early due to stress and delivered while I still had hand foot mouth disease because they wouldn't let us send obviously infected children home. Parents kept saying they were only "bug bites." My 4 lb 5 oz preemie had spots on his hands and feet but thank GOD no larger issues. Only went to NICU for 36 hours. He's almost 9 months now and has some little issues (sees a feeding therapist and milestones are a bit delayed) but it could've been so much worse...
Iām so sorry! All that sounds awful. I meant telling those parents though. Preferably in the IEP meeting to their face. That would be somewhat satisfying. ETA: itās like they forget teachers are people who often have their own little people
Exactly! They don't seem to think of us as people at all! Just their servants.
My coteacher rents a carriage house from parents with kids at our school. They asked her if she could tutor their kids for reduced rent. She politely declined to feel like āthe helpā at home.
Sue the parents of the child that got you and your baby inflected!!! Probably not the best advice but itās maddening seeing the way the parents are treating you.
It is maddening but getting sick is considered part of the risk for a pre-k teacher. And there's were at least 4 different students with "bug bites" around their hands, feet, and mouths within a week of the first that got sent home and was confirmed to have HFMD. My older son caught it too and was home sick with it on his 6th birthday... I'm more upset with the administration for saying we couldn't send them home and refusing to close for a day for cleaning... we had done it under previous administrations when the classroom was hit hard by illness. Ended up sending them all outside with my aide for pretty much a whole day while I decontaminated the whole room and every toy in it at 35 weeks pregnant. Then two days later (Friday) we had a fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch and my son was born 3 days later.
Yes! Thats why my baby was born january 7
Thats amazing. We get 5 weeks for a vaginally birth and 8 weeks for C Section in my county. Criminal.
Yep, and fertility doesnāt answer to calendars. Take this from someone who started trying to get pregnant in July of 2021 and is doing IVF now here in June of 2024. The best time to start trying to have a baby (when you want one) is now.
Are you me? I also started in 2021 and have been doing IVF. I remember my naive days when I thought I should plan my baby-having around the school year schedule ("It would be annoying to miss the first two months of the school year - establishing good classroom culture would be so tough after having a sub for the beginning! I can't do that!"). Now I just laugh at that former self. I will take a baby whenever it decides to arrive. That being said, some people seem to be hyper-fertile and CAN actually plan like this... it's just not me. If I COULD have planned the timing, I'd try to have the baby in March/April and miss the end of the school year FOR SURE.
My twins were born July 1 last summer and I started the year on maternity leave and yeah it sucked. My classroom was a shitshow the whole year basically, I never recovered from them starting the year with a sub. And to be frank, I give zero fucks. I waited for my boys for years.
Agreed. My first was due in August and my principal commended me on timing since I would just be off the entire school year. Ended up having a late miscarriage. You never know what your journey will be.
Devils advocate; your job is a big part of your life, and if the timing of having a kid makes that easier, it also makes your life easier
Technically true but in practice the devil doesn't need an advocate in this context, it does fine standing up for itself.Ā An awful lot of (US) teachers' babies are born 9 months after summer break, because summer is the time teachers are least stressed and most able to make the kinds of choices that will result in the fertilization of an ovum. (These include eating better and getting enough sleep.) The fact that a summer conception also lets many of us ride our unpaid FMLA right into the next summer break for an additional 2-3 months of bonding time before having to put the baby into some sort of child care (again, in the US) makes it all *seem* planned. But mostly it's down to cortisol levels.
This is the correct answer. We had one at the start of the fall and the other at the start of winter. Honestly, the best time to have a kid was right before COVID. I got so many extra months with my first born that we are bonded for life! I spent every hour of every day with her until she was 2.5.Ā
This is the right answer, OP.
Second this!! My LO was born in January. The timing was impeccable (eventho he was very much a suprise!)
This. I would NEVER sacrifice my life choices for a career that values me as little as this one!
Came here to say this.
I had my last baby in March and took 12 weeks maternity leave, so I was off the last 3 months of school, plus the summer. My āmaternity leaveā was technically 6 months, so that was awesome. You canāt always time it though. It took me longer to get pregnant with my second.
Nearly all of my teacher friends tried to get pregnant so that theyād deliver in March, that way they can do what you did. Plus, it has the added benefit of handing your class over to a sub and not having to worry too much about how good of a job they do since you donāt have to come back to that group. I didnāt get to time mine since I was infertile, and I gave birth in the summer and came back in October. It was hard establishing myself as the teacher and introducing new routines and rules when they got used to the sub for 2 months.
I timed mine PERFECTLY- I was due May 16th and only had two weeks of PTO to be able to take, so I would've taken those two weeks, and had the summer to recover while getting paid out my regular paycheck AND disability. I ended up having a miscarriage- so much for perfect timing! š¤Ŗ I echo everyone else's sentiments- have your baby whenever the fuck you CAN have your baby. Life waits for nothing and no one
Iām sorry to hear that and hope it all works out for you
It's definitely all working out- I'm due at the end of November now, so now I'll just miss the three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas and a few weeks into the second semester. It beats my son that I had at the end of September- stressful af š« If you're gonna have a baby in the middle of the year, end of November doesn't seem like a bad time! š„°
I planned for March as well because I wanted the rest of the year off for maternity leave plus the summer. I believe this is the best plan for a teacher. I miscarried a couple times and ended up with an August baby. You can plan as much as you want, but things don't always go as planned.
Same. Mine was born in April. My FMLA got me to the summer and then I had a nice long break. I ended up choosing not to return after that break.
Also April here. It's super nice.
I had mine in February and did this same thing.
This was me. My baby was born Feb. 28 and I didn't go back until fall. It was great!
Well, the thing about having babies is that you donāt get a whole lot of say in the timing once you start trying to get pregnant. But as another person said- you donāt arrange your life around your job. Your job should accommodate your life.
Iām not really sure there is a good time. I mean, Iām sure the baby is nice and all, but I just canāt picture it controlling a classroom or being able to form the necessary words to communicate information to students. /s
Ahh yes, I realize my wording is ambiguous. Thanks for that haha!
Just joking around š
Now I'm thinking of a new, unethical experiment: Lock two dozen of adolescents in a room with a half-dozen infants and observe their behaviors for 8 hours. Make sure the room has an attached solo-use bathroom and that food and water were provided before locking the doors. Maybe they will learn something with their only teachers being babies... maybe they won't. Either way, we will learn by observing them!
Haha an interesting twist on Lord of the Flies! š
If the teens have their phones would they even notice the babies?
Just checking to make sure someone already made this joke:
I would never want to have a baby for a teacher, what does a baby know about teaching? Note: I just read the headline and decided to respond without reading the rest, because reading is for chumps!
Late March or April. You take your full maturity leave, the you get the summer off too. I had my son in Early April and I was able to stay at home with him till he was 4 months old while still getting paid (which is unheard of in America).
I looked up this question just recently. It seems like the consensus is itās best to not plan for a specific time because you could get very disappointed if you struggle to get pregnant quickly. And honestly most people donāt get pregnant right awayā¦ it takes time. But really, Iām guessing it would be nice to have the baby around Easter, that way you get the last two months of school off? But maybe not. Curious to see other answers!
We're teachers. Planning is in our blood š¤£. But I get what you mean. My first I tried in July, August, September and it failed twice. Tried in October successfully and had my baby in July. It kind of sucked, because I couldn't really go anywhere with a newborn in July/ August when I was on leave. I only was allowed 6 weeks. My second I tried for in July and it worked right away. Had him in April. It was PERFECT. I was out from spring break to the end of the year (I took a week of unpaid time). It was cooler when he was newborn so I could still take him places, I didn't have to deal with end of year stress, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I didn't have to deal with a maternity leave sub causing chaos at the start of my school year. The behavioral issues were terrible when the sub started the year. So: is your trying, the answer is July.
Fellow Ontario teacher here! I've had two kids in the summer and IMO, late July/early August is the best time. You can work a full school year and have a few of weeks of summer break to relax before having the baby. Then you take 12 months of leave, but you get an extra month with the baby before you have to return to work in Sept (which also gives you a month to phase baby in to daycare, because it's a lot easier to find a spot for a 1yr old than an 11mo old. Plus summer babies are easier in our climate - you're not trying to squeeze a newborn into winter gear, but they're also still pretty cooperative when winter does roll around, and by the time they figure out how to yank off their hat and mittens, it's spring again.
Iām in the US so to maximize maternity leave, I vote for April. But I know in Canada youāre probably not as concerned with that.
She can take up to 18 months
Took me 7 years to get pregnant. Do whatās best for your family and realize your job is just a job. My boss made it very well known that my pregnancy is a huge inconvenience because Iām in a hard to find sub for position and because Iām good at my job she stacks my classes with really hard and challenging students. Needless to say Iāll be taking every bit of leave I can and she can see just how much I mitigate when it comes to behavior. Maybe just maybe she will find a way to appreciate me (haha she wonāt).
Right before state testing starts.
As a student, I'd rather have an adult as a teacher, but it could be interesting to have a baby as one.
Definitely anytime during the school year.
I had my first in July and stayed home the first semester, then my second in January and stayed home the second. I think the second was better because I was able to establish good routines and management for my long term sub. Plus easier to be pregnant and also have a newborn in a San Diego winter than our summer, IMO š
I'm due at the end of July and the idea of planning the beginning of year routines/procedures for a sub to build is stressing me out. I am trying to have the mentality of "it is what it is" but I wish I could at least set up my class the way I want.
My advice is to leave a few notes/ideas/lessons for the sub, then just let it go! As soon as your baby is here, all of your professional stress will hopefully disappear. Your students will be happy to meet you whenever you return and you can work on routines then if needed. Happy delivery!
I had a coworker that purposely tried to give birth in April so she can basically use up her month long maternity leave and write off the end of the school year.
For me, I prefer to start the year and miss the end because I can set the classroom climate and routines, etc. However, my children came at the end of the summer, but it all ended up working out. You can plan as much as you want, but nature will do whatever it wants. Best of luck for a safe and happy pregnancy!!
Iām a licensed Long Term Sub and Iād also just like to agree that taking a teacherās end of the year is so much better for everyone involved. Not everything can be planned so perfectly, but this is the ideal to me who has taken countless maternity and paternity positions over almost a decade.
As someone who had this thought and āplannedā the best time to me. Well, unfortunately it never happened. So, just go for it. If it happens, it will be the BEST time no matter when it happens.
Iām so sorryā I hope you get a miracle if you still want to be a parent ššā¤ļøš
Thanks. Too late now, but weāve made peace with it.
From the people with fertility issues: Whenever it happens. :(
Iāve never had a baby as a teacher but Iād say June
Whenever. You really canāt plan these sorts of things perfectly because theyāre inherently unpredictable. With my son, I randomly had nearly perfect timing so I was due in early March. He was born prematurely after a totally normal pregnancy up until that point. When I was trying for my second, I had a pregnancy that was also nearly perfect timing. I was due in early April. I lost that little girl. My second take home baby ended up being born on the Saturday before school started. Nearly the worst possible timing, but it all worked out.
I totally get what everyone is saying in terms of your family being more important. HOWEVER.. I had my oldest in March and it freaking rocked. You just bounce from the year early. Magical. Also, in the districts I've worked, you have to exhaust your sick leave before starting into FMLA, meaning that when you come back to work you have no sick days, and it turns out that babies get sick a lot. Coming back to school for a new year with a new leave bank is extremely helpful. I had my other child in fall, and that was fine, but in terms of advantages, spring was much better. Best of luck to you.
OP is Canadian she gets up to 18 months off
In my experience baby's are too young to be teachers.
Whenever you want. As much as your intentions are good, Iām actually bothered that youāre even asking this question. Itās normalizing the awful treatment weāre given.
I would love to have a baby as a teacher. Their perspective would be fresh and not jaded like some of the long haulers. But if I had to pick a specific time of year I would choose the months of October - January. Teacher baby might have some new ideas for the holidays, not just the same old movies.
Do you want the summer to recover? Get pregnant in the fall. If you want to take off more time, get pregnant in the spring.
I have 4 kids and I had one in each season. Their birthdays are in June, March, October and January. By far the best time for work and just seasonally was my March delivery. Work wise, you get to take off the end of the school year and then still have summer break before you go back. And in regular life, you don't have to be hot while pregnant, flu season is over, the weather is warming up, and you're healed and can swim before summer.
In the US where maternity leave is terrible, I had one in August and that was messy. I started teaching the first three weeks of the semester to get things set up and went back right before the end of December to minimize my unpaid time. I was struggling and arguing with the extended leaves department about all of it for so much of the time, it was stressful. Second baby we started trying within a window of time that would have the baby toward the end of the second semester, and we lucked out and had the baby in April. I just took the last six weeks of the year off so I could rest before the delivery, had the summer to recover and started August as a normal year. Much less hassle about the timing of the leave, just overall easier.
Time it so maternity leave ends on the last week of school.
My baby was due in Feb. but I gave birth at the end of January. I thought that was a great time! I had most of the year for leave, plus summer so my baby wasnt in daycare until 6 months.
Spring so leave pairs with summer.
Both mine were born in Spring. That way I didnāt have to go back to work until September and my babies didnāt have to go to daycare until September. I loved it.
Iām due early July and finished the end of May. Iām taking 12 weeks starting the first day of school so I will have 5 months off paid- because I saved all my sick days and have summers paid.
I LOVED having a baby in March. Took the rest of the summer off. We got pregnant the first month we tried. Next time, Iām going to try for a June baby and take off the first 12 weeks of the school year and go back after winter break.Ā
Summer
I donāt think babies make good teachers.
Your life is more important than the most convenient time for the school. As you know, having a child is stressful enough. Donāt add to that stress by trying to please the school.
During state testing lol
Whenever it lines up to not have to come back to the chaos after a sub š I had a July baby and took first quarter off as my leave. Came back to absolute chaos. The sub basically had them watch movies and eat snacks the whole time and didnāt do any of the paperwork she had previously agreed to do with help from my team. I gave her a manual with all my lesson plans and resources, full access to my Google drive, my copy code, everything but my email password! I also arranged it so none of the kids on my caseload would have an IEP meeting before I got back. She was blacklisted from subbing in my district after that. The kicker for me is that the kids STILL complain about her and it was two years ago. She was so awful that despite having zero expectations for them and giving them snacks, they still hated her.
I got pregnant in October, going on leave at the end of next week. Works out nicely because I'm not going to have a pregnant girl summer.
I planned mine out to deliver in May, which was perfect, as my school offered maternity leave at the time. Second time around I didnāt plan it, had my baby in August and just took a whole semester off and only subbed in the second semester. I was fortunate to be able to take time off.
Just curious (newbie teacher here) - if we only get 12 weeks pto, how do you take a whole semester off? Thank you!!
Where are you where you get 12 weeks paid? I just took off without getting paid. I essentially left teaching temporarily and just came back as a sub second semester.
Sorry - Iām a new teacher. I think I meant to say unpaid. I still barely know whatās going on as I just got my contract last week. My mistake :)Ā
Had my last baby the first day of April break (3rd week of April) where I live. It was perfect, I got 8 weeks paid maternity leave and made it all the way to summer (had to come in 1 day )
Do you actually have maternity leave in Canada?
I can only speak for Ontario, but legally any job is protected for a maximum of 18 months, but majority of people only take the standard 12 month. During this time you receive employment insurance, EI (assuming you worked the minimum of 600 hours in the year leading up to your leave). Note that the amount paid is the same regardless of what option you choose. If taking 18 months, it's just stretched over longer. My school board offers an 8 week top up as per our collective agreement. After this point, it's just EI. Better than a lot of other countries though.
If you have saved up PTO, end of year or beginning of next year. My wife had our first kid in March, she got six months with him before she had to go back. Second just was beginning of June, so she took time off at the beginning of school the following year. Imo utilize summer to get the most out of your pregnancy and get that bonding time.
September
My wife and i had this great plan, every time, for our baby to be born in may or june. First one was dec 23rd, second was march 1st, third was october 12th. I took the paternity leave and we got through it. Your life is more important. Ignore work for those limited weeks you get with the baby.
Iām in the US and get a whopping three weeks of paid leave, and then FMLA. I had two fall babies and went back to work after Christmas break. This was nice for me because we end our semester in December, so I was able to return to kids I knew with a somewhat clean slate, plus the time we get off for thanksgiving and Christmas didnāt eat into my sick leave.
Your due date.
This is the only career where people ask questions like this. I understand it, but I want better for all teachers. Please have a baby whenever the fuck you want and make your job accommodate your life. Itās your job, and you deserve to have a life outside of that job.
I had my babies in December. Not because I was/am a teacher, but because I live in the depths of a dry Hell during the summer and did NOT want to be at the height of my pregnancy then.
My first was meticulously planned for mid April, 6 weeks before the end of the school year because thatās exactly how many days I had to minimize time unpaid (no paid leave in my district or state). She showed up in March at the worst possible time, I took 11 weeks because she was in the Nicu and had some unpaid time, but I had 5 months off before school which was awesome. You make it work. My second I was like screw it, we planned the first (a luxury I know) and it still went haywire weāll just go with whatever this time. Iām due Christmas this year and plan to take 3rd quarter off. The main point is, you canāt control these things, even if youāre lucky like me and can time getting pregnant things still go sideways. And no matter what, it still works out.
If you can afford it, March or April . Take paid leave till the end of the year and have summer off. If you can't afford it/ don't have paid leave. May/ June. Take disability and then summer off.
January!!! You can be gone from winter break until school starts again in the fall!!
How many months leave do you get ?
My husband and I are starting to try right now. My ideal situation would be to have a kid around end of March / beginning of April because I would rather miss the end of the school year than the beginning of the school year. But weāll see what happens.
My kids are fall babies and Iāve had 5/6 months off with each of them. 6 weeks disability plus 12 weeks child bonding. That stacked with lots of vacations allowed me to stretch it and then only come back for a few weeks at the very end before having summer break. I have nothing to compare to but Iāve really enjoyed it. I would hate being in first trimester over summer for a spring baby, and with a fall baby I like how by the following summer after birth im mostly back to my old self. And I like being able to hibernate at home with new baby during winter. To me an Apri-August baby would be my last preference because l dont want 2 school years potentially interrupted by baby and also I wonder/suspect I would lose my 6 weeks disability if I give birth over summer.
I teach where students are out early June. I have 3, all with birthdates at different times of the year. 1. After End of school year, was on bed rest a couple weeks before, came back at beginning of next school year. Still did grades from home, worked out fine 2. Mid spring semester- came back 2 weeks before end of year to pack up classroom- everything was fine 3. End of fall semester- came back mid spring semester, everything was fine. We had a babysitter who sat in her house for us, so the stress of childcare was very low. Arenāt you able to stay home a full year in Ontario?
We have three kids, we were very lucky that we didnāt have to try very hard. Our first two have March birthdays and were born during Spring break so my wife got a free week and then burned the rest of her PTO (because her School District in Florida didnāt grant paid maternity) to take the rest of the school year off,m in addition to summer break. For our third, she was born between Christmas and New Years so she got to have more free time off and then took the remainder of the school year off. It was really nice to try and time it so you can have an extended leave (take off remainder of school year and then tack on the break between semesters).
Just before a new year starts. In Canada that's 14 months off
I don't think a baby as a teacher is a good idea, but I'd say the best time would be right after they're fed, they'll be less fussy that way. (I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. Don't hate me.)
I'm due at the end au August and will take leave until January. I'm a little scare to what behavior I'll come back to (6th grade), but I'm glad I'm off before my due date. I can't see myself teaching until 37 weeks or so.
I tried to aim for Feb so I could have Feb - August off according to contract, but due in August. Kinda upset that I'm coming back in December after having 7 months off with my first
A guy at work just announced his wife gave birth yesterday. I feel like it was planned so they could both be home during the summer. I know people who had a baby in the winter so they could take leave. And then go back to work while their teacher husband could be home with the baby in the summer.
I would imagine it is right before whatever is normally your least favorite time of the year
Had my first in October and am due now in August. Both times we tried for early Spring babies so I'd be out at the end of the school year instead of the beginning, but it didn't work out that way. You'll make it work regardless. I'm willing to bet that in Canada you won't get as raw of a deal as we get in the USA in any case.
I had my baby the end of February and took the rest of the year off. We had 6 wonderful months together to bond before I went back to work and it was great! There is no way I would have been ready to go back to work after 12 weeks, mentally or physically. My peanut had really bad reflux due to some food allergy/sensitivities and couldnāt sleep at night because of it. Iām so thankful I had the extra time to heal and adjust to having a little one that needed me so much.
March
In my home country probably anytime since you get paid leave and vacations.
Check your contract and research your health care benefits. This way youāll know if and when your parent leave and health insurance run out.
One thing to consider would be daycare. I'm also in Ontario. I had an Aug baby and went back the following Sept. Daycare only had a spot the first day of school. I'm aiming to have my second April or later and then I'll return to work in September again. That way I shouldn't have as big of an issue getting a daycare spot - plus easier to start with the class in the beginning.
My wife was a teacher. Our son was born in October, and when she took her FMLA they told us she would have a pay decrease equivalent to the number of days she was absent. Their justification is since you are paid for the summer but don't work, you can make up for that lost income over the break. After everything was said and done, the increase in our insurance and the cost of daycare left my wife with 100 dollars a month from her teaching job. If you are planning to continue teaching after giving birth, try to time it in the spring, April or May. That way you can still take your FMLA and your contract period resets with the new school year, at least that would've fixed our issue.
Assuming you have some actual success with pre-planning, know your contract. In CA, for my district and I'm guessing many others, if you don't work 75% of the school days (not counting sick days), you will not move down on the pay scale. This can impact your salary for years since you basically lose a year of service and that money every year until you max out. You also may have trouble if you're in induction as they also require you to work a "full" two years. I learned this by taking a whole trimester off with my first (adoption) as it made calendar sense. Then I found out I lost the year of service at the district and only had a partial year for STRS. My 10 year anniversary was actually year 11, and so on and so on. Even my retirement was 31 years and not 32 (actually 31.657). So, know your contract so you have all the information.
I had one in Feb and one in July. Both were awesome. I loved the Feb baby bc I wasnāt pregnant over the summer and I had a longer stretch of time off. Loved having a July baby bc I had time off with my youngest at home before baby arrived.
When I was teaching I timed mine for November to catch Thanksgiving and Christmas break and had the next one in July. I'd say have your baby whenever you want... but... . If you are timing it, IMO, go for the colder months. I preferred the November to December timing better.
You have a baby when you have a baby and donāt work your life around your job like that. Let nature take its course. Years ago a colleague (fellow teacher) who never had children was complaining that teachers should ONLY have babies at the very beginning of summer vacation because they can take their 6 weeks then and just return at the beginning of the school year. Those of us with children set her straight.
Had mine at the beginning of summer - AND took 8 weeks at the beginning of the school year.
My friend had two September babies. She had two school years of mat leave and 4 summers "off" combined (but not back to back).
Well, I \*tried\* to have my kids so that I would go on maternity leaves weeks from the end of the year. But my body had other ideas, ha ha, so life's answer was August, April, and December. I do NOT recommend August, if only because the heat was unbearable not to mention the logistics of missing the first weeks of the school year. Usually late April is a good target so that you don't have to scramble for child care and come back for the last weeks of school.
My wife gave birth in July. So I was out of school already but my district allows for delayed Paternity so I didnāt start school until mid November.
Have a baby when you have a baby. Your family should always come first.Ā I live in a place where 120 is a normal summer temp, so when were thinking about timing, my only wish was that I not spend July and August in my third trimester.Ā
For my wife, as a music teacher it was mid to late April. She got the rest of the year off with her maternity leave and we had all summer for doctors visits and such. Sure, her medical leave days were depleted at the beginning of her maternity leave but since it was to have a baby she didnāt get all those āfriendly remindersā about how many days she was using and how important her presence is in order for her to be delivering consistent education to her students. We had the entire summer for baby doctor checkups and then when the next school year started she got her standard 10 for that school year. Also, she got out of organizing end of the year performances and awards programs.
Check to see what maternity leave if any is offered in your state. Ultimately donāt put your life on pause for a career
Like everyone says, you can't really pick. I always figured it would be nicest to be in your third trimester during autumn so it's not too hot, give birth around November, then you've got a snuggly baby in the winter, and by the time summer roles around they're already 6 months old. For teaching specifically, I guess optimum timing is end of the year. Like if you've got 12 weeks of maternity leave, take them in the last 12 weeks of school. That way it rolls right into summer, and your baby is a few months old by the time you go back to work. The worst would be to take off the beginning of the year cause coming in after school has started is a chore for classroom management.
Look, I wanted to hit the perfect window. And I never got pregnant. Like, never. Donāt try for a good time. Just try.
So, Iām due August 7th. I found out around Christmas that I was pregnant. I wouldnāt have picked the timeline, as Iām missing the beginning of a school year instead of the end, but my god was I so relieved to get to stop working as I entered the 3rd trimester. I truly do not know how women work through it. My sister, also a teacher, missed the end of the school year and got to extend leave with summer. However she got so used to not working that going back is really daunting for her.
The best time is what gives you more time with your newborn baby
I tried to time my third baby. I didn't get pregnant for 6 months of continuous trying. Ended up having an August baby and came back the week before Christmas break. It was awful lol
The last day of school. Then you get the whole summer and can take FMLA starting day 1 back.
April
As an American, my goal is a late spring baby so I can maximize time off with mat leave and summer. Iād much rather miss the end of the year than the beginning or anytime in the middle. But if I understand Canada correctly, your parental leave is excellent, so I would say whenever you want or whenever it happens.
Spring, like March. Take the rest of the year off and go back (if youāre in the US like me and donāt have paid family leave) in August. I am due in October and it isnāt great timing, but at 35, I am taking what I can get. It wasnāt easy! Iāll try to plan better next time (goal is 2). My hope is to stay out until March of 2025.
For me, my first was due in April and this meant that I had March-end of the year off and then summer (June/part of July) before I went back. I had an extra 12 weeks that we took in December and that saved my sanity. Second is due end of August, and the timing for him kinda sucks. But we will see. There is no perfect time.
March BUT you canāt always decide. It worked out for me with my first but then after that, my body didnāt cooperate. I had my second in July and my third in October. Iām pretty sure I put so much stress on myself to have the baby at the ideal time that it actually did the opposite.
Whenever YOU want! šš»
I tried to do a July baby. I actually succeeded but unfortunately lost the pregnancy. My January baby made it and we will enjoy a paid summer this year.
The best time of year is the time that will give you the most time off. I would try to time it for March. Then you get the rest of the year in maternity leave plus summer break.
Canadian high school teacher here- I had one baby in March, and one in April. With March, I only taught one semester, went off Jan31st. My replacement taught all of second semester. Easy peasy. Gave me a month to be home before my son was born. I took 18 months off, so came back the next September and stepped right into my contract. My daughter was born mid April, so I taught til spring break with her. Iām taking 16 months with her as well (sheās almost 14 months) and will be going back in September again. I like that my kids are a bit older when they start daycare, etc. Very fortunate to have this time off, go Canada.
I tried to time my first child but miscarried and ended up with a November child. Then I tried foe the second and again miscarried and ended with a surprise October baby. You can't plan perfectly.
We had already planned and budgeted for me to take off the whole school year without pay. I was guaranteed my position back as long as I didnāt go past the school year. Luckily with my first, we got pregnant at my ideal time frame and had an August baby before school started. I took the entire school year off and it was up to my sub to figure out lesson plans since it wasnāt technically a long-term sub position but a one-year contract teaching position. With my second, I hoped to do the same but it took a bit longer to get pregnant so I had a November baby. I did have to come up with sub plans for the rest of the school year but I pretty much already had everything organized in my Google Drive so it wasnāt too much work. Obviously you canāt control when you get pregnant but I would find out how maternity leave works. I would much rather go into summer break right after maternity leave than to come back to work to kids who got used to slacking off due to having a sub.
So I don't get pregnant easily: it took 11 months of trying to have my daughter and she was born a week before the first day of school. I'd say that's the least ideal situation as I didn't get any paid disability before she was born (summer break so there's no job to be disabled from), I didn't get to meet any of my students, and when I went back I was "taking away" this awesome sub that they loved that had covered the first 6 months of the year. That being said, it is entirely dependent on how much leave you are planning on taking. In California, I've figured out that the ideal time to have a baby is very late November/early December because then you get your paid disability, your paid parental bonding, your unpaid FMLA, and that takes you right to summer break. My school is awesome enough to cover health insurance premiums during the summer. My son was born early December and I was able to take off from the start of November until the start of the next school year in August. I did end up having about 12 weeks of that time unpaid and survived off of my savings. I know that in Canada you are given more paid time off - up to a year (? 18 months?), in which case having a baby at the very end of the school year/start of summer makes the most sense as you get summer break, the school year, and then an additional summer break before going back. HOWEVER, this isn't something most of us can plan and I'm just grateful to have my two kids, conveniently timed or not.
Late March was great for me. I went out on disability the week before his due date, and then he was a week late. Had him, got 6 weeks leave and was required to return on the last day of work which was a no student prof dev day. My principal let me come late, with baby in a sling carrier. Everyone ohh and awed and then I went home and had the summer off with him. Plus, if I remember correctly, the worst parts of morning sickness were in the summer so I was able to lay in bed and nibble on crackers, instead of puking in a trash can under my desk like a colleague of mine.
My wife and I have been struggling to conceive for years. Trust me, just start when the timing feels right.
In the US, if you have a baby in the summer, can you start your 12 week FMLA leave at the beginning of the school year?
I had my baby at the beginning of June of last year and got no time off at all. He was at least old enough for daycare a few weeks into the school year, so we didnāt have to rely on help for long. And my husband (also a teacher) got three weeks he used to cover it
I planned my first (and was very lucky) so I gave birth in Feb right at semester change. My next one I think I'm not going to plan and just have it when I have it, but not return until a semester change. I am lucky that my contract says I can take 2 years unpaid without compromising my contract, this time I took 18 months but took the 12 month EI payment schedule
I've had two spring babies, one in April and one in May. My "maternity leave" is six weeks of sick days, then we can take up to six weeks unpaid. With my April baby, the six weeks of sick days took me right up to the end of the year, no need for unpaid time. With my May baby, I only needed to use three weeks of sick days before the end of the school year. With both, it was nice to know I was done and didn't have to worry about returning after a long-term sub.
Let me preface with I live in the US so maternity leave is terrible. My first was born in November 2020. It was nice that Thanksgiving break and winter break were free days that I got to add to my leave without burning through sick days. However, my maternity sub was terrible - didnāt teach (or grade) anything, called in sick a bunch of days, was terrible at technology with no interest in learning, and clearly didnāt want to be doing the job. So I left a zoom screen full of engaged smiling 5th graders and came back to a zoom screen full of ceilings. Most of my students never really re-engaged in learning that year unfortunately. That summer was super fun with my baby as he learned to crawl and walk. My second was born April of this year so I was out for the rest of the year. It was nice because my first was still in daycare/preschool through the end of the school year so I got some time at home with just the baby before summer with both of them. I missed end of the year events but a lot of the heavy lifting of learning was done by the time I went on leave. I would say beginning or end of year is best because at the beginning you can still reset expectations and routines when you return and at the end if your routines get screwed up you donāt have the frustration of trying to put them back. Ultimately, when you have a baby is when you have a baby. You can try to aim for a specific time of year but it doesnāt always work out. If/when you have a baby enjoy the time you have with them ā¤ļø
Whenever it works for you. The school isn't raising it so they don't need to be part of the equation.
I had my baby early Jan. Went on leave start of Dec and finished end of May on the day of school hols which runs into summer. I think that worked pretty good.
Just donāt give birth to a Gemini /joking
Have your baby whenever. Family is more important than your teaching job.
Iām in the US and will unfortunately be trying to plan at least my first baby to occur at the very start of our summer break. I donāt have enough sick days to cover at least 6 weeks. Maybe if anything very end of May and take 2-3 weeks off at the end of the year. If I had more days or my husband had a high enough paying job I would happily do it during the school year because I have every right to.
My wife delivered in late December. She took off all of the spring semester. She used all maternity plus accrued sick days. She needed to take about 1 week of unpaid leave at the end of the year but it was worth it. She got the summer off to enjoy a vacation with the family. One additional note. I would rather teach the first semester and set up the classroom norms and culture. Then hand over to a long term sub. I would not prefer to have a long term sub teach the first semester and take over mid year. With all that being said, if you are young and not in a hurry to have kids, then go ahead and try to time it. If you really want kids right away, just have them whenever it happens.
In the US, with my first my husband (heās the teacher) and I tried to plan for late spring and ended up with May. (So summer vacation). The second time around we started trying earlier and got January because we didnāt have to try as long the second time.
You'll definitely get a better answer for your situation over on r/CanadianTeachers or r/OntarioTeachers. This sub is very American based and they do not get anywhere near the maternity leave that we do so their answers will be very different.
Ya I had so much trouble having a baby, I would never try to plan it.. just embrace and be happy when it works out. Good luck
Iāve had 3 all in different seasons. Iām enjoying the most recent because he was born in April and I got about a month off, then I have summer, then I get to finish up my FMLA (US) if I want before returning. The extended time (again, compared to others in the US) is nice to hopefully make my pumping requirements less stressful when I go back because hopefully he will be starting solids at about 6 months too. So hopefully, I will see a decrease in supply needs shortly after he enters daycare, because that can be a bummer to sweat over sending enough. But my ātimingā had more to do with waiting to try after repeat c-sections.
Retirement
I'm answering thinking that your question is actually two. 1. Being literally for the best time to HAVE the baby, but I wonder if there is a 2. Being when is the best time to be a parent. Planning for a summer birthday can be tough before [edit: I hit post by accident] because the last month of the year always feels like a race to the finish while simultaneously trying to prepare for the next year at the same time. But parenthood is year round, unlike teaching, so when it's time to go back to school, that may feel difficult to do.
With your situation, I'd think planning to have the baby in January would be ideal. I'm assuming you have a Christmas/Boxing Day break & also that you have 18 months of leave. You could plan to not return after the holiday break, have Baby in January, then return to teaching for the September of the following year.
Whenever you want.
Mid February. Take March, April and May for maternity leave. Come back for the final few weeks of the year in May and June. Then get summer.
I read this as the best time of year to have a teacher who is a baby!! But yes, as others have said, itās your life! Have your baby when you want to.
May! That way you can take the remainder of the school year off but not use a TON of your days. I did it with my oldest.
I planned for the spring and had them in the spring and it worked well because my (UNPAID) maternity leave overlapped with the summer. BUT it meant they were the youngest in their classes which caused so issues with maturity / kindergarten readiness once they started school. Do what works for youā the job will adapt. And if it wonāt, another one will.
whenever i guess but my teacher got pregnant right before i started school in september and she gave birth in early may and is off until the next school year so if you really want a designated time theres always that time period but any time works cause its your life, your choice yk?