We Need Paid Parental Leave – Maternal Mental Health Depends On It
We live in the wealthiest country to ever exist on this planet, yet every day new parents are faced with an impossible choice: go back to work and sacrifice their physical and mental recovery, or stay home longer and risk not paying the bills. For millions of families across the United States of America, the lack of paid parental leave isn't just an economic issue; it is a legit mental health crisis.
Paid leave in the United States is a privilege, and if you're one of the lucky ones to live in a state that offers paid leave or work for a company that offers it, be grateful. At the time I’m writing this, only 12 states and Washington, D.C., have implemented paid parental leave programs.
The postpartum period is an insanely vulnerable time for new parents, especially for new moms, and without the proper support—which we do not get here in America—we’re expected to heal physically, adjust to our new roles, learn how to breastfeed, all while sleep deprived worrying about money.
Add in that for most partnered parents, it's the male partner who goes back to work sooner than the female partner; she ends up, by default, dealing with all of the mental, physical, and emotional labor of parenting and household management. It's a f*cked-up system, and it needs to change.
The Absence of Paid Parental Leave in America
The United States of America is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee paid parental leave to its citizens. Yes, there's FMLA, the Family and Medical Leave Act, which offers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for qualifying employees. 60% of people in the US are currently living paycheck to paycheck, so time off just means their bills don’t get paid, more credit card debt, and lots of additional stress. It's crazy, but only about 23% of private sector workers have access to paid family leave, and the people who need it most—low-income and marginalized families—are often left completely without it.
ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) recommends women take at least six weeks off work following childbirth. But here we have one in four women in the US going back to work within two weeks of giving birth.
Let's compare that to other countries, like Sweden, where parents are given a total of 480 days of paid leave that they can share between themselves, so mom and dad both get bonding time. Or like in Canada, where parents can take up to 18 months of combined paid leave. Check this out:
The World ‘Has Found a Way to Do This’: The U.S. Lags on Paid Leave
The U.S. is one of six countries with no national paid leave. The Democrats have cut their plan to four weeks, which would still make it an outlier.
By Claire Cain Miller
Published Oct. 25, 2021 Updated June 22, 2023
The Postpartum Mental Health Crisis
It takes a full 40 days to recover physically from being pregnant and giving birth. It's also a time of some serious emotional adjustment. When women have to return to work before they’re ready, the risk of developing PMADs, like postpartum depression and anxiety, skyrockets and is exacerbated. It’s seriously some cruel and unusual punishment.
In fact, one in seven— and I believe this is a low estimate because so many people are not reporting it or not properly diagnosed—one in seven women will experience postpartum depression. Add in some neurodivergence, and literally, the risk for a PMAD skyrockets. Neurodivergent moms are up to six times more likely to get hit with a PMAD. The pressure to bounce back is rooted in a capitalist mentality that values productivity over everything else. But guess what? Moms aren't machines. We aren't superheroes. We are human beings, and we need and deserve the time to recover, bond with our babies, and adjust to this hugely important role.
When moms are forced to go back to work too early, they are missing out on bonding time with their babies, and they’re unable to care for their own mental health—which is hard enough without having to head back to work. Sleep deprivation, hormones, and the emotional rollercoaster of being a new mom make us vulnerable to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Maternity leave isn’t a vacation, it’s a necessity—a buffer against the mental health challenges that so many of us are facing.
Low-Income Moms Bear the Brunt
Poverty, systemic inequality, and a lack of paid leave contribute to the maternal mental health crisis. Financial instability is already so stressful and puts a huge burden on families, which adds to the emotional strain of postpartum recovery and only deepens the crisis. Wealthier and more privileged families may have the resources to hire help or take unpaid time off, whereas low-income moms and women of color who often work jobs that don't offer any kind of paid leave are left with no safety net, which leads to an ever-widening gap in maternal health outcomes, with lower-income moms disproportionately suffering from untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders because they have a lack of time, support, and financial resources. And who pays the price? We all do, as a society. We all pay the price.
The Ripple Effect on Families and Society
When moms don't get the time they need to recover physically and emotionally from pregnancy and childbirth, it creates a ripple effect throughout their families and communities. Untreated postpartum depression and anxiety can lead to long-term mental health challenges, affecting not only the mom but also the child's development, the health of the whole family, and future economic stability.
Children with moms who have untreated PMADs are more likely to experience developmental delays, behavioral problems, and emotional difficulties. For moms, if their mental health issues go untreated, this can lead to ongoing depression, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining employment. Being forced to leave their babies at daycare or with caregivers before they are emotionally ready can lead to intense separation anxiety for new mothers.
On top of it, maintaining the breastfeeding relationship can become overwhelming when moms have to go back to work early. Many moms want to breastfeed for as long as possible, but going back to work can disrupt their breastfeeding routine and lead to added stress and decreased milk supply, not to mention the additional labor that comes with pumping. Without the right support and accommodations at work, moms may end up giving up breastfeeding because it’s just too hard. This not only affect the baby’s nutrition, but also adds to the emotional strain on mom.
The lack of paid parental leave affects businesses and the economy too. When companies don't offer paid leave, they usually have higher employee turnover, lower productivity, and more absences. Studies have shown that paid leave improves employee retention, which, of course, benefits both employers and workers.
The Change We Desperately Need
So, what's the solution here? The United States needs to implement a national paid parental leave policy NOW. We need to protect the mental health of moms and make sure that new families have the chance to start off on the right foot. Regardless of your job, your income level, or where you live, 12 weeks of paid leave, at a minimum, needs to be a guaranteed right for all parents.
Postpartum healthcare in America is abysmal, to say the least. Forcing moms to go back to work so quickly after giving birth leaves them vulnerable to mental health crises that could have easily been avoided. This is why I argue that postpartum anxiety is a social construct—it could be fully avoided if only our society would value the mental health of women and mothers.
Call to Action:
The fight for paid parental leave in the United States is getting stronger every day, with various organizations leading the charge to make sure that all families have the support they need after the birth or adoption of a child. Without federal paid leave policies, many parents—too many parents—are forced to go back to work too soon, which compromises their mental health and the well-being of their babies. Here are three organizations that are working to advocate for paid parental leave for all. I encourage you to check them out:
If this resonates, join me for the weekly support group I’m hosting for neurodivergent and anxiety-prone moms. We’re real, we’re raw, and we’re here for each other.
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