Emergency C-section - still pregnancy disability or switches to baby bonding PFL?

Yes, your c-section is still considered pregnancy disability! After birth (including c-section), you can receive pregnancy disability benefits for recovery for typically 6-8 weeks depending on your doctor's certification. Only AFTER your pregnancy disability claim ends would you transition to PFL baby bonding. Your doctor needs to certify your recovery period on the appropriate form. Don't start your baby bonding claim too early or you'll lose valuable recovery time!

congrats on the baby!! had emergncy c-section last yr too. yes its still disability for 8 wks after csection (6 wks for regular birth). my doc wrote me off for 8 wks automatically. baby bonding starts after disability ends. dont mess this up or youll lose $$$$

I went through this exact scenario last year and it was SO confusing. Here's what happens: 1) Your pregnancy disability continues after birth 2) For C-section, standard is 8 weeks postpartum disability 3) Your doctor needs to certify this on your existing claim 4) After disability ends, THEN you file for PFL baby bonding 5) DO NOT let your disability end early or file PFL too soon The two benefits are completely separate. Pregnancy disability is about YOUR health and recovery. PFL baby bonding is about caring for your new child. You're entitled to both - don't shortchange yourself!

MAKE SURE YOU GET THE FULL 8 WEEKS!!!! I had a c-section in 2024 and my doctor only certified me for 6 weeks at first because that's their "standard" for uncomplicated births! I had to literally beg for the additional 2 weeks even though it's STANDARD for c-sections! They tried to tell me that I could "just use my PFL earlier" which is WRONG and would have cost me 2 weeks of paid benefits!!! The EDD follows what your doctor certifies so if they only certify 6 weeks, that's all you'll get for disability! Fight for your full 8 weeks!!!

Just went through this last month. Your emergency c-section is definitely still pregnancy disability. The hospital should give you disability paperwork before discharge that your doctor signs. Mine certified 8 weeks recovery time from the date of my c-section. One thing nobody told me - you need to continue certifying every 2 weeks during your disability period! I almost missed a payment because I didn't know.

I'm dealing with the same thing right now. I delivered via emergency c-section 4 weeks ago. My doctor certified me for 8 weeks post-delivery disability, but when I check my EDD account online it still shows my claim ending 6 weeks after delivery! I've been trying to get through to EDD for days with no luck. Has anyone else had this issue? How long should I keep calling before giving up? I'm worried my baby bonding claim will get messed up if this isn't fixed.

when i had my c section last year the doctor automatically put me on disability for 8 weeks after delivery date. my cousin had a regular delivery and only got 6 weeks. its still disability not baby bonding. baby bonding is what comes after. make sure ur not confused on certifying - u need to do it every 2 weeks for disability but only once at the beginning for baby bonding. good luck and congrats on ur baby!!

Important tip nobody mentioned yet: When you're transitioning from pregnancy disability to PFL baby bonding, you need to file your baby bonding claim BEFORE your disability ends! You can file it up to 2 weeks before your disability ends. If you wait until after disability ends, you might have a gap in benefits. I learned this the hard way and had an unpaid week between my claims.

To add one more important detail: make sure your doctor specifies that your disability is continuing due to a C-section recovery, not just regular postpartum recovery. This should be clearly documented as it affects the standard recovery time (8 weeks vs 6 weeks). The correct code makes a difference! And yes, you'll use the DE2508 form for PFL baby bonding when you're ready to transition from disability.

Congratulations on your new baby! I went through this exact situation 8 months ago with my emergency c-section. Here's what I learned: Your c-section recovery is definitely still pregnancy disability, NOT baby bonding yet. You'll get 8 weeks of disability benefits starting from your delivery date (not 6 weeks like vaginal delivery). The key is making sure your doctor certifies the full 8 weeks on your disability paperwork - don't let them shortchange you to 6 weeks! After your 8-week disability period ends, THEN you can start your PFL baby bonding claim. Make sure to file your PFL claim about 2 weeks before your disability ends to avoid any gap in benefits. Also, remember you need to certify every 2 weeks during disability but only once at the start for baby bonding. The hospital should give you the disability paperwork before discharge - make sure your doctor signs it for the full 8 weeks and specifically notes it's for c-section recovery. Don't stress too much about HR not responding right now - focus on recovery and getting your paperwork sorted with your doctor first!

First off, congratulations on your new baby! I know the emergency c-section wasn't what you planned, but I hope you're both doing well. I just went through this same situation 6 months ago and can share what I learned. Your emergency c-section is absolutely still considered pregnancy disability - you're recovering from major surgery! The standard is 8 weeks of disability benefits for c-section recovery (vs 6 weeks for vaginal delivery). Make sure your doctor certifies the FULL 8 weeks on your disability paperwork before you're discharged - don't let them default to 6 weeks. After your 8-week disability period ends, that's when you'll transition to PFL baby bonding benefits. One thing that saved me was filing my PFL claim about 10 days before my disability ended to ensure no gap in payments. Also, keep track of your bi-weekly certifications for disability! The hospital social worker or discharge nurse should help you get the right forms. Don't worry about HR right now - focus on your recovery and getting the medical paperwork sorted first. You've got this!