“I am self-employed and do not have access to paid family or medical leave. When I was pregnant with my first child, I had complications at 28 weeks and was forced to spend the remainder of my pregnancy on bed-rest, unable to work. When I went into labor, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my son’s neck and an emergency C-section was required. Three weeks after that, while I was still in pain from having surgery and bleeding from giving birth, I went back to work. I had already been without an income for over three months and could not afford food for my newborn. No one should have to choose between healing from surgery and bonding with their baby, or eating.”
Sally, Windsor CT
