ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A first-of-its-kind mandate starts Jan. 1 in New York State and the state is launching a campaign to make sure people know about it. Any privately employed pregnant New Yorker will be able to receive an additional 20 hours of paid sick leave for prenatal care in addition to their existing sick leave. 

It doesn’t matter what size company you work for or how long you’ve worked there, you get the leave whether you’re full or part-time.

It’s supposed to be used for any exams, medical procedures, testing, or discussions you need to have with your doctor during pregnancy or fertility treatments. The 20 hours can be split into hourly increments and an employer cannot require that you use other types of leave first, before using your prenatal leave.

Governor Kathy Hochul says she met with moms across the state and this was something they thought would have made their pregnancies a bit easier.

“The round tables I participated in with moms, they shared their stories of how they skipped their appointments, how they were afraid to take the time off work because they would be leaving money with their employer and not in their pocketbooks when they’re trying to deal with the ever-escalating costs of life in America,” she says.

Dr. Eva Pressman is the Chair of OBGYN at URMC and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Highland and Strong Hospitals who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Many pregnancies can require dozens of prenatal visits.

“Scheduling that many appointments around a work schedule can be very difficult, especially for people who don’t control their own work schedule. So the hourly employee, where leaving work means not getting paid, we’re making decisions that are always very difficult,” Dr. Pressman said.  

Even during regular pregnancies, skipping any prenatal care can be dangerous, particularly for women of color. State data shows Black women have a pregnancy-related mortality rate five times higher than white women.

“We know that adequate prenatal care improves pregnancy outcomes, it decreases the risk of preterm birth, it decreases the risk of low birth weight and it decreases the risk of maternal complications like severe high blood pressure. That can really be deadly if untreated,” says Dr. Pressman.

For more information on prenatal leave and to review the state’s FAQ section: New York State Paid Prenatal Leave

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