Is maternity leave mandatory?

If you are expecting a baby and are wondering whether your employer is obliged to accept your request for maternity leave, here are a few things to clarify.

• Maternity leave is composed of prenatal and postnatal leave
• Your employer is obliged to grant you at least 8 weeks of maternity leave
• Its legal duration, 6 weeks before the birth and 10 weeks after, is fixed by the Labor Code under article L.1225-17
• If your doctor agrees and you are feeling well, you can postpone part of your prenatal leave until after the birth.