Many of today's professionals - whether they are baby boomers or Generation Xers - can remember growing up with a stay-at-home mother. She picked the kids up from school, and never had to worry about telling the boss she couldn't come to work because her child had the flu. Times have certainly changed. In 2001 more women than ever before are in the work force, including new moms. Several factors have contributed to the fact that sleep-deprived, diaper-changing moms are returning to work in record numbers - and many are going back while their babies are just a few weeks old.

A new U.S. Census Bureau report indicates that the number of new mothers in the workplace has increased dramatically in the past two decades. In 1998, 59 percent of women with children less than a year old were working. That's almost double the 31 percent participation rate in 1976. This may be why many parents have to put their names on waiting lists at daycare centers, and more and more companies are going the extra mile for their "new mom" employees.

The report shows that of the 3.7 million women with infants, 36 percent were working full time, 17 percent were working part time and 6 percent were actively seeking employment. The census also discovered that the tendency to return to work has a lot to do with a mother's background. For example, of those with at least one year of college, slightly more than two-thirds went back to work compared to 58 percent of those who were high school graduates.

Today's booming economy, which has been fueled by technological advancements, has given women many more opportunities. This fact gives new moms more of a reason to return to work much sooner. Many women are being asked to work more than 40 hours per week and to get things done as quickly as possible. Some women feel that the longer they stay out of the office, the longer they are out of the "loop." And, undoubtedly, financial pressures give mothers no other choice but to leave their newborns before they are emotionally ready to do so. "The bottom-line reason [women return to work sooner] is because they rely on their paychecks," says Donna Lenhoff, vice president and general counsel of the National Partnership for Women & Families in Washington, D.C.

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has helped many parents get time off without losing their jobs. It guarantees workers at companies with 50 or more employees 12 weeks of unpaid time off to care for a newborn or adopted child. To qualify, however, employees must have been on the job for at least a year and have worked for at least 25 hours per week. While an employee is on leave, the company must hold the position, or a similar one. Companies with fewer than 50 employees do not have to provide any time off.

The biggest downside to FMLA is that it is unpaid. Many families simply can't afford to give up one person's paycheck for three months. In those cases, an option may be temporary disability insurance. Currently, though, only five states, New York, New Jersey, California, Rhode Island and Hawaii, have state-run temporary disability plans. However, these plans only cover those weeks during which someone is medically unable to work.

Christi Dixon made the decision during her pregnancy to return to work well before the allowed 12 weeks. Dixon, an account executive with San Diego, Calif.-based advertising and public relations firm matthews/mark, decided she would go back to work after six weeks when she realized that she would only receive disability pay from the state for that period of time. "With housing prices and California's power crisis [bills will be skyrocketing over the next month], I have no choice but to come back," Dixon points out.

Like many other new moms, Dixon wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of having to give up those precious first weeks with her little bundle of joy. "I was pretty disenchanted with the whole thing," she says. "I think it is ridiculous; America is way behind other countries [when it comes to maternity leave]." She adds that it is financially disappointing. "I think this is why people are waiting until they are further along in their careers to have children."

Not everybody is crying the blues because they have to return to work. Christen Graham, an account manager with Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass.-based Warner Communications, was given the opportunity by her boss to telecommute. She has the best of both worlds - she is able to care for her two-month-old son and work full time. "My workday is '9 to 5,' but my boss allows me liberal breaks for nursing my son during the day," Graham explains. "She remembers her own maternity leave, and return to the job, and how difficult that was."

Another company that has made the effort to work with its employees is Golden, Colo.-based MarketAbility Inc., a book publicity firm. Operations Manager Cynthis Campman recalls the story of an office administrator who was planning on taking six weeks of maternity leave. However, for financial reasons, she was only able to take five weeks. "We understood her predicament and gave her the opportunity to return to work part time as soon as she was able," Campman says. The employee came back to work part time after five weeks, and the company allowed her to decide when she would feel comfortable returning to full-time work.

While working part time, she was allowed to work the hours that she was able. "We know how difficult it would be to get a newborn ready for the day and actually gave her permission to arrive late to work if necessary for the first few weeks," Campman says. "As with all our employees who are parents, we are extremely open to receiving and making 'check-up on kids' phone calls, and we are especially flexible during the first few weeks."

CDG & Associates, a Dallas-based human resources consultancy, does something that is quite unique. The company encourages all new parents to bring their infants into the office for the first six months following the birth. Cynthia Driskill, CDG's founder and president, strongly believes this bonding time between parent and child is crucial and should not be sacrificed by work. CDG employees can bring any necessities to work such as playpens, cribs and toys and set them up next to their desk.

When CDG started about four years ago, the third employee that was hired found out she was pregnant. "I informed her that the bond the mother builds with the baby is the foundation," Driskill says. "She came back to work with baby four weeks after she was born. That was the beginning." Since then the company has done this a number of times, leaving the option open to both moms and dads.

Both the company and employees have benefited from this practice. Driskill notes that because of this, CDG has experienced great retention among its workers, and parents have the ability to be with their babies while they work. So far this method has been quite successful and all employees support it. "Some of us just love having babies in the office," Driskill says. "If a baby is fussy during a meeting, someone will come in and hold the baby for mom."

Expectant moms should start thinking about hteir maternith leave, and return-to-work plans as soon as possible. More and more employers are willing to help and support hteir employees because they know how hard it is to be a new parent, and also how difficult it can be to keep valued employees. - SHERRI PFEIL, Staff Writer

How to negotiate maternity leave
You just found out the good news - you're pregnant! Now it is time to break the news to your boss. But before you do that, it is important to have a plan of action in mind. Here are a few suggestions:

• Do your homework: Find out if you are covered by the FMLA or a state law. Or you may discover that your company's policy is better than these policies and laws. Take a look at what other companies are offering. You may also want to talk to your co-workers who have taken maternity leave.
• Decide what you really want: Can you afford to go without pay for an extended period of time? Go over your expenses and figure out how much time you will need. Do you have vacation time you can use? Are you willing to do some work from home (if allowed)? If you decide to come back early, negotiate to work part time for a while until you can get adjusted to motherhood.
• Write a proposal: Be professional about your leave and put it in writing. Make an appointment with your boss to go over it and discuss the positives and negatives.