I will of course ask my HR rep, but since so many of you seem so knowledgeable in this area (while I'm a bumble-brained dolt!) Heres whats going on with me -

I work for NS-LIJ health system. Of course, I get the typical maternity leave - 6-8 wks depending on c-section or not.

Starting in Jan 07, all employees will be eligible for short-term disability, whether they signed up for it or not (which is great - when I took the job, I never signed up - I know, stupid, but I wasn't even engaged yet, and I wasn't thinking pregnancy, or anything debilitating because I'm healthy....)

so, now that I'm eligible for ST disability, I can get even more paid time off for labor/maternity leave? More than 6-8 wks?

I know I should know this stuff, but I don't, and I'm sure each company is different - but any knowledge you guys may have would definitely ease my mind - it would be great to know the baby could be a little older before I sent it to daycare!!!! Plus, it would help us save money for a few months before paying for daycare - and of course, most importnat, give me more time with my baby as well!!!!