Ashton Dargenzio (29), a Pittsburgh mother, had to make a difficult choice between continuing her work to pay the bills and taking unpaid maternity leaves.

“Because my only child is a mother, it was impossible for me to make a decision,” she stated.

Dargenzio’s baby girl was taken straight to the neonatal intensive care unit upon her birth, complicating the situation.

Dargenzio had to have a C-section and was not able to remain in hospital with her child due to Covid-19.

Instead she would get up earlier each day to take her child to the hospital, breastfeed and then proceed to work in another hospital room. Dargenzio would then move to the waiting area of the hospital, set up her new workstation, and she’d be done.

Dargenzio works as a contractor in the field of information technology. She said that this requires her to solve problems and fix them.

This schedule was followed throughout her 12 week maternity leave.

Dargenzio stated, “It was one the most frustrating and stressful experiences I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

“Not being able to have paid leave has opened my eyes to the reality of how many people do not get that experience,” she stated.

Dargenzio is likely to face more challenges as she juggles work and care for her daughter.

Dargenzio’s daughter, Dargenzio has bilateral hip dysplasia. She will require three operations. This will result in her daughter having a cast down to her ankles, and limited mobility.

Dargenzio will likely take a week off from each operation to care for her child. The full recovery period after any procedure will take approximately six weeks.

Dargenzio explained that accessing a policy of paid leave would be a great help.

Instead of worrying about paying her rent or utility bills, she can focus her attention on her child’s needs.

Dargenzio expressed his gratitude for Dargenzio’s ability to get up each morning with the sole focus of her and her family.

She said, “No parent should worry about such a thing.”

Adrienne Streater (45), gave birth to her second daughter and returned to work after a 20-day emergency C-section.

She was not allowed to take leave at her South Carolina startup company. She was allowed to work as many hours per week as she wanted, but she did not have to take a formal leave policy.

Streater said that caring for their daughter, who has special needs, was difficult for her and her husband.

At 10 weeks, her daughter needed surgery. She had another procedure at 18 months.

Streater stated, “There is a Southern saying that God won’t place more pressure on you than your ability to handle.” It was a deception.

Streater said that much of her worry about Streater’s first pregnancy stayed with her after she had her second baby, a daughter. This contributed to her postpartum depression.

Douglas Streater had already moved with Streater from South Carolina to New York, so their second experience was quite different.

The four weeks of vacation that her husband had earned at work allowed him to care for her baby. He received his regular paychecks during this time.

Streater claimed, “We didn’t loose a beat financially.”

She said that other families may be in a similar situation.

Her ability to work has been affected by the fact that she had to spend time caring for her children.

Streater explained, “My career is certainly not what I had envisioned when I was 25,” “I am proud to say that at the end, I know I have two healthy and beautiful daughters for which I would give anything.”

Streater explained that her and her husband taught their daughters at 7 and 5 years of age, Streater and Streater, the importance of making sure they have all options.

This should also apply to parents who have to spend time caring for their children.