Thank you so much for writing and speaking up about this! The fact that most women in the United States who are able to access any sort of pay during maternity leave do so through short-term disability insurance speaks volumes to how we view parental leave -- that is, a means to physically recover from childbirth before throwing oneself back into work. In this vein of thinking, parental leave has nothing to do with bonding with a newborn, caring for your partner or other children, or transitioning to an entirely new phase in your life. And of course, disability insurance doesn't apply to new fathers at all. We have to shift our mindset, and we have to center both fathers and mothers in that shift. So glad you will be getting the time you need to support your partner and transition from one to two children in your household!