Giving birth to your own flesh and blood is something you can always look forward to in your entire life. This is even one of the most exciting events you’ll ever experience as a woman.

However, aside from going to your doctor for check-ups, buying baby clothes, and other stuff, it’s essential to consider some essential matters of being pregnant. Among these matters is knowing your rights before bringing a child into this world.

Here’s why you should know your rights before giving birth to a new life.

Protect Yourself From Unnecessary Troubles

The first reason why it’s essential to know your rights is to save yourself from any trouble that might come along your way. More often, people who don’t have any idea about their rights will quickly get into trouble. This situation also applies to pregnant women.

Therefore, if you’re pregnant and expecting a baby anytime soon, it’s crucial to know that you can exercise some legal rights to protect your interests and that of your baby. These include:

• Right To Compensation For Birth Injuries

Typically, a birth injury refers to the harm inflicted on a baby during the time of death due to the negligence committed by doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. The most common types include head trauma, facial nerve paralysis, collarbone fractures, and many more.

When your baby is diagnosed with any of these, it can be a sign of medical malpractice committed by the doctor and other assisting health professionals. Thus, as a mother, you have the right to sue the responsible party and seek recovery of compensation for the birth injuries sustained by your child.

Since it’s a legal process, you can hire a birth injury attorney to help you obtain compensation for long-term medication, therapy, caregiving training, and other services.

For more information about caregiving, check this caregiver guide to help you learn the new skills and techniques to raise a child with unique health problems.

• Right To Maternity Leave

Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, pregnant workers who have been working for at least one year in the same company and consume at least 25 hours of work in a week, they can avail of up to 12 weeks of an unpaid but job-protected leave within the 12 months for the childbirth.

So, if you’re working while being pregnant, your employer can’t terminate you for taking extended time off from work after giving birth.

In case your boss fires you within the period provided, they can be liable for the violation of this law.

• Right Against Job Discrimination

As provided under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, pregnant women are given the right against job discrimination. This means that if you’re employed in a company employing 15 or more workers, you have the right not to be fired because of your pregnancy and not to be forced to take mandatory maternity leave.

Moreover, during your pregnancy, you’re permitted to work as long as you can, be granted health and sickness leave benefits, guaranteed job security, and many more.

Hence, if you’re treated differently because you’re pregnant, don’t hesitate to exercise this right to avoid any trouble at work later on.

Prevent Other People To Take Advantage Of You

Not knowing your rights before giving birth can lead to a variety of unprecedented events. For instance, if you don’t know that birth injuries as a result of your doctor’s medical malpractice can be ground to the recovery of compensation, the party or parties at fault will not take your claim seriously. They’ll take advantage by making sure they can get away with the wrong they’ve done against you.

So, to ensure this will not happen during and after giving birth, know and understand your rights properly. Do some research about the laws concerning pregnant women and childbirth, so you’ll know what to do in case something terrible happens and to ensure that nobody will take advantage of your situation.

Help Determine Your Legal Options

As mentioned, you should be legally ready before, during, and after giving birth. With so many bad things that might happen along the way, it’s best to know your rights to help you figure out the best remedies when the problem arises.

For example, if you’ve discovered that your baby has sustained a birth injury upon delivery, having knowledge of the rights before giving birth can help you navigate your legal options. This can help you get prepared for a possible legal battle that might occur when somebody violates your rights.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the responsibility of giving birth to a baby doesn’t only involve babysitting. It’s also crucial that you understand the legal rights that come with your pregnancy. Hopefully, by keeping this information in mind, you’ll be well-prepared for the arrival of your baby mentally, physically, and legally.