Work concerns to think about include:
Planning for Maternity Leave
By law, all U.S. companies that employ 50 or more people must offer women expecting a baby at least 12 weeks of maternity leave -- but that time is not required to be paid.
Only 8% of companies in the U.S. offer any sort of paid maternity leave, which means it's likely that you will either be going back to work before you really feel ready, or you'll be taking unpaid leave. As soon as you get pregnant -- or even when you're just planning a pregnancy -- it's a good idea to start researching your employer's policies.
Some women take a little time off before the baby is born to prepare; others literally wait until their water breaks to go on leave, reasoning that they want to use every minute of their allotted leave with their new baby.
You should also talk with your partner about the leave he or she gets, if any. Do you want your partner to take time off while you're first home with the twins, to help you adjust, or would you rather he or she take leave afteryou return to work, delaying (if only by a couple of weeks) the need for outside child care?
Talk to Your Employer
In addition to official maternity leave, you may be able to cobble together more time with your babies using vacation, sick leave, disability, or other days. Ask what's allowed.
You can also ask your employer about options for when you come back that might give you more time with your babies, such as:
- Flexible hours (perhaps you can come back part-time at first)
- Work from home options
- Job sharing
If you have any trusted colleagues at the same company who have already gone through maternity leave there, it's a good idea to ask for their advice as to how they managed, what worked for them, and what they wish they'd done differently.