A February article in The New York Times describes how, according to US Census reports, women in the United States are working later into their pregnancies, and returning to work more quickly after their babies are born:
The trend reflects a number of developments since the early 1960s, including more opportunities for pregnancy leave, paid and unpaid, and increased protections for pregnant women against job discrimination. ... Fully 80 percent of the women who worked during their pregnancy from 2001 to 2003 continued to do so into the last month of pregnancy, compared with 35 percent in 1961-65.
Did you start your maternity leave before the baby arrived, or did you work right up until the day of? How much time were you able to take off? If you returned to work outside the home, did your hours or pay level decrease?
