Ashley, Pennsylvania

Time to Heal Is Time to Thrive

In June 2023, our first daughter, Nora, passed away at just one week old due to necrotizing enterocolitis. I was given three days of bereavement leave.

I could not afford short-term disability because it only covered half my pay, so I returned to work one week later. I did not fully process our loss until months later, when everything caught up with me around the holidays.

I was given three days to grieve my daughter and no time to recover from childbirth. That’s not enough. That’s not okay.

Planning Ahead Still Wasn’t Enough

When I became pregnant again, I tried to plan carefully. I saved more than 200 hours of vacation time to get through maternity leave. When Savanna was born, I took six weeks of short-term disability at half pay. Almost overnight, we went from being financially stable to living paycheck to paycheck.

I was trying to heal, bond with my baby, and manage our finances without the leave our family truly needed.

When My Baby Needed Intensive Care

After those six weeks, Savanna became seriously ill and was hospitalized and intubated in the PICU for 19 days. I used nearly all of my remaining paid time off so I could stay by her side.

Being there was essential. During a medical crisis, babies need consistency, comfort, and connection. My presence helped support Savanna during an overwhelming time, and it helped me stay grounded as her parent and advocate.

Why Paid Leave Matters for Babies and Families

I am now able to work remotely while caring for Savanna. Without that flexibility, we could not afford child care, especially with reduced income and medical bills. Still, working while caregiving is not the same as having protected time to recover and focus fully on my child.

Paid family and medical leave supports more than parents.

It supports babies’ emotional and mental health by allowing caregivers to be present during moments that shape early development. It also protects parents from the stress and instability that can follow families long after a medical crisis ends.

We planned, we saved, and we did everything we were supposed to do. But without comprehensive paid leave, we faced repeated challenges alone.

Paid leave makes it possible for families to stay steady during crisis.

Ashley

Why This Matters for Babies in America

Babies need stable, supported caregivers to thrive. Families need policies that recognize how critical the earliest months of life are, especially during medical hardship. Paid leave is not a luxury. It is a foundation for healthy development, strong families, and a better start for babies everywhere.

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