How long can I ask for maternity leave for the elderly?
With the development of society and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, more and more women choose to marry and have children later after their careers become stable. However, with the growth of age, female fertility has gradually declined, and the situation of elder childbearing appears. For older women, how to ensure their balance between work and childbirth has become an important issue. One of the key questions is: How long can I take the maternity leave for the elderly?

Medical analysis
From the medical point of view, the elderly childbearing faces a series of risks and challenges. As the age increases, women's ovarian function decreases, egg quality becomes worse, and the risk of fertility disorder increases. In addition, the incidence of complications during pregnancy will also increase, such as hypertension, diabetes, etc. Therefore, medical institutions usually recommend older women to have more comprehensive prenatal examinations and provide more prenatal health care services.
For elderly mothers, the time of maternity leave should be determined according to the doctor's suggestions. Normally, doctors will evaluate the situation of the pregnant women according to their specific conditions, including age and physical condition. If the mother is in good health, the doctor may suggest that she continue to work until the late pregnancy, and then ask for a shorter maternity leave. For older mothers with poor health conditions, the doctor may suggest that she ask for maternity leave in advance, and the duration of maternity leave may be relatively long.
In the current medical system, there is no clear stipulation on how long the maternity leave can be taken for elderly childbearing. Therefore, the specific leave time needs to be determined according to the doctor's suggestions and personal actual conditions.
Legal analysis
From the legal point of view, there is no clear difference between the maternity leave time of the elderly and that of ordinary mothers. According to the provisions of China's labor law, the duration of maternity leave for female employees is 98 days. Maternity leave is divided into two parts: before delivery and after delivery. The duration of maternity leave before delivery shall not be less than 15 days, and the duration of maternity leave after delivery shall not be less than 83 days.
However, because the physical condition of elderly mothers is more fragile than that of ordinary mothers, the law does not make special provisions on maternity leave for elderly mothers. Therefore, in practice, elderly mothers sometimes negotiate with their employers about the time of leave according to their personal needs and working environment.
Although the law does not clearly stipulate how long the maternity leave can be taken by elderly mothers, according to Article 11 of the Special Provisions on Labor Protection of Women Workers, elderly mothers enjoy the same treatment and rights as ordinary mothers. Therefore, the benefits and treatment enjoyed by elderly mothers during leave should not be lower than that enjoyed by ordinary mothers.
Hospital Practice
In hospital practice, the time of maternity leave for elderly mothers is usually determined according to the doctor's advice and the physical condition of the mothers. For example, in the relevant regulations of the Women's and Children's Hospital of a certain city, it is suggested that the elderly women should start asking for maternity leave 28 weeks after pregnancy, and the leave should be 98 days. If the health condition of the puerpera is poor, the doctor will extend the maternity leave as appropriate, but not more than 180 days. Such provisions are intended to ensure the health of elderly mothers and the safety of their babies.
Different hospitals may have different regulations, but the basic principle is to determine the time of maternity leave according to the specific situation of the maternity and the doctor's suggestions.
Summary
How long the maternity leave can be taken for the elderly is a question that requires comprehensive consideration of medical and legal factors. From the medical point of view, the time of maternity leave for elderly mothers should be determined according to their physical conditions and the doctor's recommendations. From the legal point of view, there is no clear difference in the time of maternity leave between the elderly women and ordinary women, but the elderly women should enjoy the same rights and benefits as ordinary women. In hospital practice, the time of maternity leave is usually determined according to the doctor's advice and the maternal's physical condition. To sum up, the time of maternity leave for elderly women should be considered comprehensively according to medical and legal factors to ensure the health of elderly women and the safety of their babies.