When Deanna, a counselor who lives in Michigan, welcomed her baby two months prematurely, she had no choice but to exhaust her six weeks of paid leave her employer provided to be with her baby in the NICU – time she expected to use to bond with her baby at home. “When it was time for her to come home, it was not possible financially to stay at home without income,” she told us after calling our free and confidential legal helpline.
10% of babies in the U.S. are born pre-term, and these babies frequently need to receive care in the NICU. For parents like Deanna, being present during this difficult and stressful time should be their number one priority – not worrying about how they’ll put food on the table if they miss work or lose their jobs.
As recently highlighted in a new USA Today article, we’re proud to have led the way on securing an additional 12 weeks of paid leave for NICU parents in Colorado, and we worked alongside partners like the NICU Parent Network to help implement this landmark law. Since the expansion took effect last month, more than 300 NICU parents in Colorado have already filed claims to take additional NICU leave.
Now A Better Balance is taking this fight to other states across the country, building on Colorado’s example. We’re also advocating for federal legislation to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide extra job-protected leave for NICU parents, along with NICU advocates and fellow workplace leave partners. Our new resource hub shares information about the campaign to pass NICU leave for all new parents, as well as firsthand stories from parents who have experienced juggling work while their baby was in the NICU.Do you have a NICU story? Learn more about the campaign and get involved.