Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

"Maternity leave policy is 6 weeks sick leave for vaginal birth, 8 weeks sick leave for c-section- and you must take your own accrued leave. If you haven't yet accrued leave, you are required to take leave without pay. You also have to pay your own benefits if you are on leave without pay status. You are allowed up to 12 weeks leave, but must use additional weeks over the 6 allotted sick weeks. I was up for promotion when I announced my pregnancy, and then the promotion mysteriously went away. I have heard of other women who were forced out after they became pregnant, and one of my colleagues was forced to take leave without pay even though she would have been happy to work instead of taking leave. There is no flexibility in my center."