"To get through this time as calmly as possible": The State Duma proposed changing maternity leave rules for women.

Specifically, providing maternity leave as early as the first trimester of pregnancy is essential for both a woman's well-being and the decision to have a child. This idea was put forward by the First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood, and Childhood. Tatyana Butskaya.

“Maternity leave, starting from the first trimester, or perhaps a floating maternity leave that would allow expectant mothers to choose certain weeks during pregnancy, could definitely be considered, — Butskaya believes. “Pregnant women should have the opportunity to take maternity leave as early as the first weeks in order to get through this time as calmly as possible.”

Currently, expectant mothers have the right to go on maternity leave only at the 30th week, and if they are expecting two or more children, at the 28th week. 

This isn't the first time the official has voiced the idea of ​​new maternity leave rules. In January, she announced that the State Duma was developing a program aimed at enforcing maternity leave rights early in pregnancy, as the first trimester is more difficult for many women than the third.