Why America doesn't have paid leave even though most people want it
Krystal Weston
"Just buying formula for my baby was awful  " Krystal Weston  a mother in Durham  North Carolina   told Business Insider in a previous interview.
As a dietary aide working in the kitchen of a rehabilitation center in Durham   Weston  was granted 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 when  she  had  her  baby  Noah  in December 2013.
Without the guarantee of paid leave while caring for  her  child   she  was faced with the choice between economic hardship and returning to work prematurely.  She  chose to go without pay for almost 12 weeks to take care of him  a decision  she  didn't take lightly.
Noah's father and Weston's partner  Jamal Mustafa  moved in with  Weston  after Noah was born to help support the family. As an assistant manager at a clothing store in Durham  he brought home about $575 per paycheck. The couple's rent was $525 a month.
"Plenty of nights I would stay up with Jamal and budget out our bills so that we could possibly have some funds left over to save for the next month "  Weston  said.
Soon after becoming pregnant   Weston  applied for public assistance. She was initially granted $75 a month on food stamps  which increased to about $300 a month after she gave birth to Noah  and she used this to buy household necessities and formula.
Since  Weston  was nursing  she qualified for The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women  Infants  and Children (WIC) to receive free milk  wheat bread  eggs  and cheese. "I was appreciative of anything I could get without having to buy with real money " she said.
"Just buying formula for my baby was awful   [TGT] told Business Insider in a previous interview.
As a dietary aide working in the kitchen of a rehabilitation center in Durham    [TGT] was granted 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 when   [TGT]   had   [TGT]   baby  Noah  in December 2013.
Without the guarantee of paid leave while caring for  her  child   she  was faced with the choice between economic hardship and returning to work prematurely.  She  chose to go without pay for almost 12 weeks to take care of him  a decision  she  didn't take lightly.
Noah's father and Weston's partner  Jamal Mustafa  moved in with  Weston  after Noah was born to help support the family. As an assistant manager at a clothing store in Durham  he brought home about $575 per paycheck. The couple's rent was $525 a month.
"Plenty of nights I would stay up with Jamal and budget out our bills so that we could possibly have some funds left over to save for the next month "  Weston  said.
Soon after becoming pregnant   Weston  applied for public assistance. She was initially granted $75 a month on food stamps  which increased to about $300 a month after she gave birth to Noah  and she used this to buy household necessities and formula.
Since  Weston  was nursing  she qualified for The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women  Infants  and Children (WIC) to receive free milk  wheat bread  eggs  and cheese. "I was appreciative of anything I could get without having to buy with real money " she said.