The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) covers only up to 4 months of unpaid leave after the birth of a child for the mother. We propose that the FMLA be changed to 6 months of paid leave with the addition of 6 months unpaid leave.
According to Jody Heymann, dean of the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, "As well as receiving more one-on-one care, infants are more likely to be breast-fed, which lowers illness and hospitalization rates for infants and benefits women’s health. Beyond the marked health advantages, paid maternity leave yields economic gains in terms of reduced health care costs, reduced recruitment and retraining and improved long-term earnings for women.”
A woman shouldn't have to put her job before her newborn baby.