Hey Simon! Congrats on your baby boy! 🎉 I just went through this exact situation 6 months ago - emergency C-section at 36 weeks when I was supposed to have 3 more weeks of pregnancy disability left. The good news is your disability automatically continues after delivery! Since you had a C-section, you get the full 8 weeks of recovery time starting from 7/15, which should take you right to around 9/9-9/10 - so your existing return date actually works out perfectly. The most important thing right now is making sure your doctor submits that delivery date change to EDD immediately. I made the mistake of waiting a week and it caused some confusion with my payments. Once that's updated, you're all set to just ride out the disability until it ends, then apply for PFL baby bonding about 10 days before (so around late August). One tip: screenshot or save confirmation when your doctor submits the medical update, just in case you need to reference it later. The transition should be smooth, but having that documentation helped me feel more confident everything was processed correctly. You've got this mama! The hardest part is behind you - now just focus on recovery and those newborn snuggles. 💙

Congrats on your little one! 🎉 I went through something similar with my daughter - she came 4 weeks early via emergency C-section and I was so confused about all the paperwork and timelines. Everyone's given you great advice already! Just want to add one thing that helped me: after your doctor submits the delivery date update to EDD, keep checking your SDI online account every few days to make sure it reflects the correct information. Sometimes there can be delays in processing, and you want to catch any issues early. Also, don't forget to update your employer's HR department about the actual delivery date if you haven't already - they might need to adjust their records for your leave too. The good news is your timeline actually works out really well since your return date was already set for 9/10. Take advantage of having one less thing to worry about and just focus on healing and bonding with your baby boy! The benefits will sort themselves out as long as you stay on top of that medical update. ❤️

btw dont forget u get 8 weeks of bonding time! alot of ppl think its just 6 weeks but its 8 weeks for 2025 claims. my sister thought she only got 6 and missed out on 2 extra weeks of paid time!

Just wanted to add my experience from last month - I applied exactly 5 days before my disability ended (online through SDI) and it worked perfectly! No payment gap at all. One tip that really helped me: when filling out the PFL application, make sure you upload a clear photo of your baby's birth certificate right away. I've seen people get delayed because they waited for EDD to request it later. Also, keep checking your claim status daily after applying - if there are any issues, you'll see them there first before getting any mail notifications. The peace of mind of having continuous payments with a newborn is so worth getting the timing right!

Reading through everyone's experiences has been so helpful! As someone who just started this process with my 2-month-old, I wanted to share what I've decided after weighing all the options. I initially wanted to do unemployment first to maximize total time off, but the overpayment stories really scared me. The reality is, with a 2-month-old who's still not sleeping through the night, I'm honestly not in the right headspace to be genuinely "available and actively seeking work" that unemployment requires. I've decided to go with PFL first - all 8 weeks starting next month. Even though it means less total time off compared to doing unemployment first, the peace of mind is worth it. No risk of audits, no stress about job applications I'm not mentally ready for, and I get the higher weekly benefit amount ($980/week vs $450/week unemployment in my case). The plan is to use PFL now for pure bonding time, then reassess in a few months when I'm more recovered and my son is more predictable. If I still need more time off, I can explore unemployment then when I'm truly ready to work if the right opportunity comes up. For anyone else struggling with this decision - trust your gut about whether you're genuinely ready to work right now. The extra few weeks off aren't worth the financial and legal risks if you can't honestly meet unemployment requirements.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this thread has been incredibly valuable! As a new parent myself, I'm facing this exact same dilemma and the insights here are helping me think through my options more clearly. One thing I'm realizing from reading everyone's stories is that there's no one-size-fits-all answer. It really depends on your individual situation - your childcare options, mental readiness to job search, financial needs, and risk tolerance for potential EDD issues. For those who successfully did unemployment first, it sounds like having reliable childcare and being genuinely ready to work were absolutely crucial. But the overpayment horror stories are definitely concerning and show that EDD takes the "available for work" requirement seriously. I'm leaning toward the PFL-first approach myself after reading about the audit risks. Even though it means less total time off, the higher weekly benefit amount and guaranteed approval without worrying about availability requirements seems like the safer bet right now. One question for the group - has anyone had experience with how employers react when you tell them you want to use PFL before starting a new position? I'm wondering if using PFL after getting a job offer but before starting might be a good middle ground strategy.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - filed 3 weeks ago and still radio silence! It's so stressful when you're counting on that money. From reading all these responses, it sounds like the early morning calling strategy is key. I'm definitely going to try the 8am sharp approach tomorrow. Also thinking about reaching out to my assemblymember's office like Aisha suggested - that's brilliant advice I never would have thought of! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, at least now I know I'm not alone in this mess 😅

Just went through this same nightmare! Filed my PFL application 6 weeks ago and it felt like screaming into the void. Here's what finally worked for me: I called the disability insurance number (not the main EDD line) at exactly 8:00 AM - seems like they have separate staff handling PFL claims and the wait times are slightly better. Also, if you have any medical documentation that wasn't crystal clear the first time, consider resubmitting it via fax AND online. Sometimes one method gets processed faster than the other. I know it's super anxiety-inducing when you need that money, but hang in there - once it goes through, they do backpay to your original filing date. Sending good vibes that you hear back soon! 🤞

I'm a labor and delivery nurse who sees families deal with EDD complications all the time, especially after premature births. Your situation is unfortunately very common, but absolutely fixable! The most important thing to understand is that premature births create unique medical circumstances that justify extended disability benefits. When I help families with their paperwork, I always emphasize these key points to include in medical certifications: 1) The physical trauma of emergency/early delivery often requires longer recovery than standard births 2) Interrupted sleep patterns from NICU visits and hospital stress impact healing 3) Breastfeeding/pumping complications with preemies create additional physical demands 4) Caring for a medically fragile infant requires extended recovery time for the mother 5) Postpartum anxiety/depression rates are significantly higher for NICU parents Your son's ongoing breathing issues and adjusted developmental age are absolutely relevant medical factors. I've seen doctors successfully certify 10-12 weeks of disability for similar situations, especially when there's good documentation of the NICU stay and ongoing complications. Don't let EDD's initial response discourage you - I've watched families go from getting denied to receiving 20+ weeks of combined benefits once they had proper medical advocacy. Your OB should be familiar with writing these extended certifications for premature birth cases. If they seem unsure, you can reference other successful cases or even ask to speak with their office's patient advocate who handles disability paperwork. You're not asking for anything unreasonable - you're asking for what the system is designed to provide in exactly these circumstances!

I'm currently dealing with a very similar situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! My baby was born 8 weeks early and spent 25 days in the NICU. Like you, I made the mistake of continuing to work (remotely) during the initial chaos thinking I could preserve my leave time for when things stabilized. What I've learned from my experience and from reading everyone's advice here is that you absolutely CAN get significantly more time than those 9 weeks. The key is understanding that EDD treats premature births as special medical circumstances that often warrant extended benefits. Here's what I'm doing based on all the great advice in this thread: 1) Getting my OB to complete a new DE2501 form certifying extended pregnancy disability leave due to premature birth complications 2) Including documentation of the NICU stay and my baby's ongoing medical needs 3) Emphasizing how the premature birth affected MY recovery - the stress, sleep disruption, pumping complications, anxiety about caring for a medically fragile infant 4) Framing it as a "good cause" late claim since the medical circumstances prevented timely filing My doctor was very understanding once I explained the situation and has agreed to certify 10 weeks of post-birth disability (instead of the standard 6-8) plus potentially 4 weeks retroactive pre-birth disability. Combined with the 8 weeks of PFL bonding, I'm looking at potentially 22 weeks total. Don't give up! Your son's breathing issues and developmental needs are absolutely valid medical justifications for extended time. The system is designed to help families in situations exactly like ours - we just need to know how to navigate it properly. Wishing you the best of luck with your OB appointment!