Mother Cover in USA TODAY: Why parental leave coverage matters
By Beth Wanner, Founder and CEO of Mother Cover
When I spoke with USA TODAY reporter Madeline Mitchell about motherhood and work, I shared the experience that eventually led me to build Mother Cover: losing my job at eight months pregnant and entering motherhood without the career stability I had worked so hard to create.
Mitchell included my story in her September 21, 2026 feature, “Long-distance breastfeeding? How today’s moms are making it work.” The article explores how mothers are navigating careers, caregiving, and ambition. I’m grateful to be part of that conversation.
It’s also a conversation I want more employers to join. Because alongside asking how mothers are making work and parenting possible, we need to ask: What are workplaces doing to make that possible?
For Mother Cover, one practical place to start is parental leave coverage: deciding who will own the work while someone is away, giving them the capacity to do it, and planning how responsibilities will transition back.
The experience behind Mother Cover
Before becoming a mother, I spent years building a career in tech marketing. I loved my work. I also worried about what starting a family might mean for the career I had built.
During fertility treatment, I tried to make sure nobody could question my commitment. As I shared with Mitchell, that included answering work messages from procedure tables.
Two days after learning I was pregnant, I was laid off. I found another job, but that employment ended when I was eight months pregnant. By the time my daughter arrived, I was facing the pressure of figuring out how to support my family while becoming a parent.
That experience shaped the company I went on to build. I wanted parents to feel confident stepping away, managers to have a workable plan, and teams to have the support to keep going.
Those needs belong in the same conversation.
Motherhood can change ambition without diminishing it
One of the ideas I discussed with Mitchell was how ambition can change after becoming a parent.
For me, motherhood brought a sharper sense of what deserves my time and energy. I still care deeply about meaningful work. I also care deeply about being present with my daughter.
Employers have a role in making room for both. That starts with questioning assumptions about what commitment looks like. Taking parental leave, having boundaries, or needing flexibility should not be treated as evidence that someone cares less about their career.
And when an employee prepares for leave, the response should give them confidence that their work and their return have been thoughtfully considered.
Why is a parental leave policy only part of the plan?
A parental leave policy explains the time and support available to an employee. A coverage plan explains how the work will be handled during their absence. Employers need to address both.
Without clear ownership, even a supportive manager can end up relying on an already busy team to absorb extra responsibilities. Decisions pile up. Projects lose momentum. The person on leave may feel pressure to remain available because nobody else has the context or authority to move things forward.
A useful question for leaders is: Could this employee fully disconnect tomorrow, and would everyone know what to do?
If the answer is no, there is more planning to do.
What should employers include in a parental leave coverage plan?
Start with four practical decisions:
Decide what needs to continue. Identify essential responsibilities, deadlines, relationships, and decisions. Be equally clear about what can pause or be reduced during the leave.
Assign ownership and capacity. Name who will handle each priority and what authority they need. If existing employees are taking on additional work, decide what will come off their plates. Consider interim or fractional support where capacity or expertise is missing.
Plan the handover. Document context, access, stakeholders, and open decisions. Where timing allows, build in overlap so the person providing coverage can ask questions before the employee steps away.
Prepare for the return. Keep a record of meaningful changes and decisions. Schedule time to transfer responsibilities back and help the returning employee reconnect with the team and their work.
The company should own this process, with input from the employee. Someone preparing for a major life transition should have support in preparing their workplace, too.
How Mother Cover supports parental leave coverage
Mother Cover provides interim and fractional parental leave coverage through experienced professionals we call Leave Partners. We support roles across functions including marketing, People and HR, finance, operations, product, and sales.
Our work includes planning, transition support, coverage, and re-onboarding. The purpose is to keep essential work moving while supporting the team and preparing for the employee’s return.
Although my experience of motherhood inspired the company, our work supports mothers, fathers, and people taking other temporary leaves, including medical and caregiving leave.
A better question for employers
I’m grateful to Madeline Mitchell for including my experience in her reporting and bringing attention to the decisions mothers make around work and family.
My hope is that employers reading these stories will also examine the decisions within their own control. Who covers the work? Who supports the team? What will the employee return to?
Those are questions we can plan for. And the answers can help make taking leave feel like a supported part of a career.
Have an upcoming leave on your team? Talk to Mother Cover about a coverage plan.
Read Madeline Mitchell’s full feature in USA TODAY for the other mothers’ experiences and perspectives. This post is my reflection on the feature and the work we do at Mother Cover.
At Mother Cover, we help companies build leave programs that actually work—from sourcing interim and fractional backfill talent to guiding leaders through transitions with confidence. Because parental leave doesn’t need to be a career or team setback.
🌱 Temporary leave. Not permanent setbacks.
→ Need support for an upcoming leave? Let’s talk.
