A Colorado NICU mother describes how the state’s paid family and medical leave program extended her time at home after an early birth—something she says she couldn’t have done without it. She argues the lack of a national baseline is pushing many women out of
When your baby is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the clock feels cruel. Elizabeth Milligan Cordova says the stress wasn’t just medical—it was financial and immediate, tied to the weeks her employer’s paid leave would run out.
Her story begins Jan. 1, 2025, when she walked through an icy park alongside her spouse and her three-year-old while 32 weeks pregnant. Five days later, her water broke and she was hospitalized. She planned her leave while preparing to teach a class—then watched her time shrink as her baby’s health dictated everything.
Her employer provided eight weeks of paid leave. and she worked remotely. a setup she calls a privilege most workers don’t have. But after losing the final weeks of pregnancy, she says she couldn’t face losing time with her baby too. Baby M arrived at 33 weeks in a tiny body. and two days later Cordova was discharged—leaving her with her baby in the NICU.
Doctors expected M to remain hospitalized until her due date, meaning nearly all of the employer-paid leave would expire before her child came home. Cordova says that left her in a bind: caring for her baby and protecting her livelihood were no longer compatible.
She described trying to hold on to what remained. Forty-eight hours after giving birth, she answered emails and joined meetings while being surrounded by incubators and beeping monitors. Her boss encouraged her to take leave, and a colleague reminded her that rest matters. Cordova agreed—and she says she couldn’t imagine working full-time once her newborn finally came home. not mentally. physically. or logistically.
That’s when she learned about Colorado’s paid leave program. With help from NICU nurses and a hospital chaplain, she says she could extend her leave by up to sixteen additional weeks through the state program. She describes the change as life-altering: what felt impossible became survivable.
When M came home seven weeks later, the stress didn’t end—it simply changed shape. Cordova describes adjusting to life without monitors while managing M’s many needs. including sleepless nights. pediatrician appointments. postpartum recovery. and the emotional whiplash of transitioning home after a traumatic hospitalization.
In her account, those additional weeks were what allowed her to reclaim her story with her daughter. She says the time helped the family bond, slowly build routines, and heal. Without that state-funded support, she writes, she likely would not have stayed in the workforce.
Her argument widens beyond her own experience. She says only one in four private-sector workers in the United States has access to paid family leave. and some employers are scaling back benefits. She points to state action as evidence that policy can change outcomes: fourteen states and the District of Columbia now have paid family and medical leave programs. with Virginia most recently included.
Cordova ties paid leave to broader labor stability. saying these programs support employee retention. workforce participation. and financial stability—benefits she frames as crucial for healthier families and a healthier economy. In Colorado, she says the program filled a gap for workers whose jobs offer little or no paid leave.
For her. the core issue is straightforward and urgent: families shouldn’t have to depend on luck. geography. or a particularly generous employer to care for a newborn—especially one who lands in the NICU. She calls for a baseline so every parent. NICU family. caregiver. and worker can care for loved ones without risking their livelihood.
This is also why she says she won’t run for US Senate—she writes that motherhood is why. Her story is told in the short film “Lifelines,” screening across the country in May as policymakers and advocates consider what comes next for paid leave in the United States.
paid family leave Colorado FAMLI NICU maternal health postpartum recovery workforce participation workforce retention private-sector access paid family and medical leave early birth