> Of course the mother doesn't HAVE to take time off - just do a planned c section on a Saturday and she can be back to work on Monday. This is a joke, right?

> Of course the mother doesn't HAVE to take time off - just do a planned c section on a Saturday and she can be back to work on Monday. This is a joke, right? I'm a woman who had a C-section baby. I'm also super tough (not that that should matter here.) There was no way I'd be able to go back to work in 48 hours after a major surgery like that. I was in the hospital for 2 days past my surgery, then had 5+ days at home until I was even able to get out of bed and move around easily. It was 4-5 weeks until I felt fully recovered again, and that's also counting the fact that we had my husband's sister who flew out to help us for a week (for which I am eternally grateful!) and a nanny after that. In other words, this was a pretty privileged situation compared to what many mothers go through.