Maternity Leave

Pregnancy is to be celebrated but there are rare occasions when a woman tries to hide her expectant status to reap the benefits of a vacant womb, especially in the workplace. In the "Never Judge a Lady by Her Lover" episode of Desperate Housewives, Carlos gives Lynette a promotion that she initially tries to reject knowing she has two babies in her belly. When the boss man mentions the salary increase, she quickly takes the offer and keeps her mouth shut about her impending arrivals. As he walks out the door, he admits he is giving the job to Lynette because the other candidate appears to be pregnant, making Lynette the more attractive option of the two.

Did you try to hide your pregnancy for job reasons?

Video courtesy of ABC

I'm about to pop which means my maternity leave is likely just days away. While I've always been a working mother, I can't wait to gain stay-at-home mom status for a few months. I've done it twice before when my daughter and son were born and loved every minute — even those that were covered in spit-up. While spending so much quality time with my kids is the obvious perk, there are others that are often overlooked. Here's my list!

• I get to drop off and pick up my kids from school and get more involved in their daily activities.
• Impromptu trips to the park don't revolve around my work deadlines.
• An 8 a.m. trip to the grocery store is less stressful than weekend ones.
• Forget scheduling meetings or appointments, life is all about playdates!
• Sweats and sneakers is a totally acceptable outfit.
• My kids will get my undivided attention (well, it will be divided between the three of them!)

What is or was your favorite thing about being a stay-at-home mom? Join our The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar community and share your stories! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Welcoming a new babe is a family affair and one that should be celebrated by mom and pop alike if you ask the British government. The country's prime minister is preparing to announce revisions to the nation's leave policy that will equally divide leave between parents, giving new dads paid paternity leave for three months and an additional three months of unpaid leave. Currently, new British mums receive a year of maternity leave, and the proposed policy would allow them to return to work at the six month mark and transfer the remaining time to their spouses – half of which would be paid.

The extended paternity leave is designed to divide parental leave between parents and eliminate discrimination in the workplace surrounding the belief that only women care for babies. Even if the policy is adopted, officials do not expect men will take advantage of it. Their statistics indicate that "fewer than one in 10 of the estimated 239,000 eligible fathers each year would take advantage of the new right initially," as men tend to be drawn back to their jobs and fear losing their tenure if they take time off.

Would your husband take an extended paid paternity leave if offered?

Source: Flickr User Spigoo

"Historically, feminists have emphasized the difficulty, the drudgery of new motherhood. They have tried to analogize childcare to the work of men; and so for a long time, women have called motherhood a 'vocation.' The act of caring for a baby is demanding, and arduous, of course, but it is wilder and more narcotic than any kind of work I have ever done."

— Writer Katie Roiphe on the conflicted pleasures of having a baby and maternity leave. At the same time she talks about the pleasures of taking care of a new baby, she says that "part of the allure of maternity leave is you give up everything you are and care about."

The last few weeks of pregnancy are wrought with anticipation. For some expectant women still on the job, the pressure of getting their work done while preparing for their upcoming arrival brings on too much stress. Add a commute and physical discomfort and some mamas-to-be beg their doctors to order them home. Other ladies stay in the office until they go into labor and save their leave for after their lil one enters the world. Nesters prefer to spend their final weeks preparing the nursery and resting. Ellen Pompeo, who is expecting her first child this Fall, is going to take an early maternity leave from Grey's Anatomy. What did you do while waiting for your baby?