Blog Hopping: Start Maternity Leave Before Baby is Born?

By Rachel Emma Silverman
The Juggle

A year ago, when I was 8 months pregnant, I started slacking off from work. Although I didn’t officially go on leave until my son was born in early February, I had a very understanding manager, a father of three, who let me slow down dramatically at work during the last few weeks of pregnancy.

Turns out, going on leave before giving birth is good for both mothers and their babies, according to new research out of the University of California, Berkeley. The researchers looked at how time off work, both before and after giving birth, impacts the health of mothers and their babies.

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