Maternity leave: how to change your life?

In this podcast, Marion welcomes Jill, a mother of 4. Jill is known on social networks as @jill_et_sa_tribu, where she shares her life and the life of her family, through their travels all over the world. 

She tells us about her maternity leave and all the new experiences she's had as a family thanks to this period. It's also an opportunity for us to tell you about maternity leave and life change!

How long is maternity leave?

Maternity leave consists of a prenatal phase (before the birth) and a postnatal phase (after the birth). 

The length of your maternity leave will depend on several factors: whether it's your first child, whether you already have dependent children, and whether it's a single or multiple pregnancy.

For a single pregnancy with a first or second child, the total duration of maternity leave is 16 weeks (6 weeks prenatal and 10 weeks postnatal). From the 3rd child onwards, maternity leave sextends to 8 weeks prenatal and 18 weeks postnatal (for a total of 26 weeks).

For multiple pregnancies, the duration of maternity leave sis extended by 12 weeks prenatal and 22 weeks postnatal, for a total duration of 34 weeks. Finally, for multiple pregnancies of triplets or more, maternity leave sis extended by 24 weeks prenatal and 22 weeks postnatal.

In fact, our menstrual briefs are ideal for the post-partum period, when you're back in diapers: they ensure comfort and security in terms of absorption, no matter how active you are after baby's birth! 

How can you take advantage of maternity leave to change your life?

Why not take advantage of your maternity leave to change your life? That's what Jill tells us, as she took advantage of her maternity leave to travel around the world with her children.

Traveling with small children can be scary at first. But, as Jill explains in this podcast episode, it's actually a completely different way of approaching motherhood. 

The benefits are many: it opens their minds and awakens their curiosity.
Whether it's discovering new landscapes, new cultures, new tastes (through the discovery of local food), or even learning a new language.

Travelling with children, Jill explains, is also about discovering a new way of travelling and enjoying it. Watching your child s'marvel at every landscape, and reading the joy in their eyes, means you get to see the country from another angle.
Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone with your children! Children are far more adaptable than adults, so make the most of it!

How to reconcile travel and motherhood? How do you travel with children?

The hardest thing about traveling with children is taking the plunge and leaving everything behind (for a long trip, of course, as Jill explains in the podcast)!
If the idea of a faraway destination frightens you at first, choose destinations in France, for example, where you know you won't have any problems with care in the event of illness etc...

The same goes for the means of transport you choose: don't take the plane if it scares you, choose the train! Take it one step at a time.

Take time for yourself too: if you're stressed, your children will be too, and that will make the trip more complicated. 

But it goes without saying that a trip is s'organized! Even more so with children. Whether you're going away for 6 months or 2 weeks, you need a minimum of organization to avoid being caught unprepared, so here are a few tips:

• Check your children's vaccinations (and your own), especially if you plan to travel to a country where certain diseases are particularly widespread. Anti-malaria treatments are recommended before you leave. For more information, contact your health professional. 
• Check your children's passports and identity cards: they need to be up to date and valid, just like you as an adult.
• Pack a first-aid kit, if you're anxious about leaving, to reassure yourself that you'll have medicines and other items to hand, and a bandage or compress will always come in handy for your little adventurers! 
• For example, if you're going to a country where mosquitoes and malaria are present, it's best to wear long sleeves for your children's outfits. 

How do you manage jet lag when traveling with children?

The sleep rhythm of little ones can already be complicated under normal circumstances, but that doesn't mean you can't travel to a destination with jet lag. You'll just have to prepare your baby.
You can gradually push back or bring forward lyour children's bedtime (depending on the country you're going to), a few days before you leave.
It takes about 48 hours for the body to s'adapt to jet lag, and a week to adjust properly.
In short, don't be afraid to leave your comfort zone with your children: they s'adapt easily! Travelling with children is a way of awakening their curiosity about different cultures.