Embarrassingly, the US is the ONLY Western country that provides ZERO paid maternity/paternity leave. It's time to recognize that our newborns need their parents around:
1) to establish a bond stronger than that with their daycare provider,
2) to encourage longer breastfeeding, and
3) to prevent more severe poverty for new parents who need to work to survive.
FMLA must be extended to provide a minimum of 12 months of leave - preferably, half of that should be paid. The government should investigate how other countries do this successfully, and implement a workable solution for the health of our families. All children deserve to have a strong start with their mommies/daddies, and new parents deserve to spend meaningful time with their newborns rather than turn them over to strangers.