Maternity and paternity leave: setting the dates without stress

In France, maternity leave is not a negotiation. Its length depends on how many babies you are expecting and how many children you already have. What is yours to decide is the calendar around it: when to tell people, how to split it, and what you actually want.

Telling your employer

There is no single deadline for announcing a pregnancy, and you are not required to do it early. In practice, a few months of notice gives time to organise cover, which usually works in your favour when you come back.

Do it in writing, with the due date and the leave dates. Recorded delivery protects you if the date is disputed later.

Splitting before and after

The leave is divided into a part before the birth and a part after. Under certain conditions you can move some of the prenatal portion to the postnatal side, with the agreement of the professional following you.

This is a real decision, not a checkbox. Working later gives you more time with the baby afterwards, but the final weeks are tiring and nobody can predict how you will feel.

For the co-parent

Birth leave and paternity leave are requested from the employer with notice. Part must be taken right after the birth; the rest can often be split across the following months.

Splitting is underused. Keeping a few days for when the first parent goes back to work is often worth more than spending it all in week one, when the hospital and the family are already there.

The question is not only how many days you have, but when you will need them most.

Durations, conditions and notice periods are on service-public.fr. Check your collective agreement too: many are more generous than the law.

Bulle helps you get organised, not treated. For any medical question, or at the slightest doubt, contact your midwife or your doctor.