How much maternity leave am I entitled to after I have my baby?

There's no one absolute answer to that, unfortunately. There are a variety of leaves you may qualify for. Your company may offer paid maternity leave or coverage through a disability policy. Your state may have a paid disability leave. Your state may have a family leave act that allows you to take unpaid leave. You may have paid vacation or personal time you can take.

In addition, if you work for an employer with more than 50 employees, and you've been employed more than a year and have worked at least 1,250 hours, you qualify for the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows you to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

In addition to all of these options, your employer may be willing to allow you to take a more extended unpaid leave. Talk with someone in your human resources department for details about what you qualify for. Most women cobble together several of these options to create the amount of leave they want.