When to Start Parental Leave for Twins?

When you’ve got two little humans ready to make their debut soon, it can be stressful to figure out when to begin your leave from work. For some helpful tips on what to consider with maternity or paternity leave, keep reading!

The weeks are counting down quickly as you gear up to welcome your twinnies into the world. But there’s a burning question on your mind: When should you start your maternity leave for twins? Or when should you start your paternity leave for twins?

So, let’s go over 6 of the most important considerations for you to keep in mind when figuring it all out!

Considerations for when to start parental leave as a twin parent

1. Be flexible

With a twin pregnancy, you’ve probably already been told a million times that there are some extra risks for complications. While it can feel overwhelming to have more uncertainty around when your twins will be delivered, it can help to consider all of your options ahead of time. 

Ideally, once you begin your second trimester, you should begin seriously researching your parental leave options. With twins, it never hurts to be over-prepared!

This way, if you end up delivering much earlier than you expected, you’ve already thought through potential options for an earlier or more extended leave. 

Then, once you know the options available to you, it’s a good idea to have a primary plan as well as some back-up plans ready to go. 

2. Look up parental leave laws for your country and/or state

No matter where you live, parental leave laws are always changing. So make it a priority to do your own homework and understand what the most current laws are for your current place of residence. When you are informed, you can be empowered to make the best decision for yourself and your growing family. It can also help you better advocate for yourself in the event that your workplace isn’t abiding by national or local laws. 

For example, in the United States, there’s a law called the Family and Medical Leave Act that spells out how certain employees can be eligible for 12 weeks of job-protected leave for the birth and care of a newborn child. 

Within the U.S., you should also check to see your home state’s specific laws and regulations for job-protection and paid leave policies. Some states have mandatory or voluntary policies that spell out requirements for paid leave. Take a look here!

Some countries and states also spell policies for pre-birth leave that includes time off of work to accommodate doctor’s appointments. And some spell out additional requirements for how you can stack both maternity leave and paternity leave. 

Another factor to consider is if you are part of a union. Some unions have additional resources that you can tap into related to family and medical leave. 

For example, when I was pregnant, I was a high school teacher, and I was part of my school district’s union. Our union had a sick bank that each teacher could contribute to yearly. Thank goodness I opted into this contribution because when I had all sorts of additional challenges with my twin pregnancy, I was able to get some additional paid leave by applying to use days from the union’s sick bank. 

3. Meet with a social worker

Most people don’t realize this, but the hospital where your twins are delivered likely has a social worker. And if for some reason your hospital doesn’t have a social worker, look up your state or local government agency to figure out how you can connect with a social worker. 

A licensed clinical social worker can support you with navigating a variety of challenges related to your parental leave. 

Here are just a few of the things a social worker can help with:

• Transitioning from the NICU to your home
• Any challenges that arise with applying for a birth certificate or social security
• Understanding your hospital bills and payment plan options 
• Getting access to resources and aid that can support you with the financial side of your twin delivery 
• Connecting you with resources and community support within your local or regional area

Trust me, this is not a step that you want to skip out on! Talking to the social worker at the hospital where I delivered was a true game-changer for my husband and I as first time parents to twins.

Our social worker helped us through the process of applying for Medicaid (since our twins were in the NICU for nearly 3 months). And on top of that, she made us aware of a local organization that helps families in need with covering mortgage payments and utility bills. 

4. Talk to human resources and your insurance policy provider

Whatever industry you work in, be sure to talk to someone in the human resources department or a person who is in charge of understanding your employer-based health insurance policy. Some companies have unique policies for maternity leave and paternity leave that go beyond what national or state legislation requires as a bare minimum. 

Knowing what your specific healthcare plan covers will help you understand all of your options for taking both paid and unpaid leave from your job. In some cases, you could be eligible for short-term disability benefits and child rearing leave as well. 

5. Keep in communication with your doctor or healthcare professional

Be sure to check in frequently with whoever is part of your healthcare and delivery team. 

Whether you plan to deliver at a hospital or with the support of a midwife or doula, keep an open line of communication with them so you are all on the same page with how your pregnancy is progressing. 

In some cases, a doctor or other healthcare professional may decide that it is not medically safe for you to work past a certain point in the pregnancy. So definitely feel encouraged to talk to them about your plan for when to start parental leave for your twins.

And speak up if you feel like working is becoming too physically demanding on your pregnant body. Which leads us to the final tip on when to start parental leave for twins…

6. Listen to your body

While all the above tips are helpful from a logistical perspective, a huge piece of the puzzle to consider (if you are the one carrying the twins) is how you feel!

Some folks experience relatively stress-free twin pregnancies. If that happens to be the case for you, then yay! But for many women who carry twins, there are additional strains and complications that can make a typical work day extra challenging on the body. 

Yes, you certainly need to factor in what’s financially feasible for your unique circumstances. But do not make the mistake of overlooking what your pregnant body needs. 

In some cases, putting too much strain on your body could lead to an increased risk of preterm labor. So even if you may not be able to stop working as soon as you’d like to, see if there are ways that you can reduce the physical and mental stress of work. For example, stay off your feet as much as possible or see if there are any options to work remotely for a period of time. 

I began my maternity leave at exactly 34 weeks and then I ended up delivering less than a week later at 34 weeks and 5 days with preeclampsia symptoms. 

Looking back, I feel like I definitely put too much strain on my body working too hard up until the end. And though I have no way of knowing, I am convinced that if I had stopped working sooner, I may have made it farther along in my twin pregnancy than I did. 

So the bottom line here is: your body is the real boss. 

Your journey as a soon-to-be twin parent is unique, but sometimes it can be helpful to have an idea of what other twin parents have done. So keep reading to see the general trend of what other twin parents have done.

When others began their parental leave for twins

To give you a helpful look at what other twin parents have done, we recently asked the Twiniversity community: When did you go on maternity leave with twins?

And here’s what the breakdown was:

• Before 25 weeks: 11%
• 25 – 29 weeks: 10%
• 30 – 34 weeks: 33%
• 35 weeks or later: 47%

Final thoughts on when to start maternity leave or paternity leave for twins

The decision of figuring out your work leave with twins on the way is a deeply personal matter. And while some aspects of the decision may be out of your control based on how your pregnancy progresses, it’s super helpful to fully understand all of your options.

So here’s a quick recap of some of the most important things to consider:

• Be flexible
• Understand the laws for your country, state, or local region
• Talk to your employer or insurance provider to understand your unique healthcare coverage policy
• Connect with a social worker at your hospital or elsewhere in your local community
• Communicate with your doctor or delivery team
• Above all, listen to your body!

Want to read more about parental leave? Check out these articles too!

• Caring for Infant Twins After Leave: What Other Twin Parents Did
• The Working Mom’s Blues: Going Back to Work After Maternity Leave
• To Work or To Stay at Home? That is the Twin Parent Question

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