Owen’s Plan
A paid pregnancy loss leave toolkit for people who want to make their workplace more supportive—and need somewhere to start.
Download the toolkits
Start with the 12-page core toolkit. It includes an adaptable proposal, model policy, employee request templates, manager guides, a cost worksheet, and an implementation checklist.
Core toolkit (PDF) · Editable Word document
State companions: use these alongside the core for local employment-law and benefits review.
Download all eight documents (ZIP)
Files open in Google Drive. Read and share the PDFs, or download a Word document to adapt in your own copy.
Why I started
My son Owen was stillborn one week before my due date. He was a full-grown baby. I was recovering from childbirth and grieving him, while also trying to understand how time away from work would work now that he had died.
I developed a paid pregnancy loss leave proposal and brought it to HR leadership. I called it Owen’s Plan. It asked for dedicated paid time, a confidential contact, guidance for managers, and a supported return.
How much of this work could an organization do in advance, so the person experiencing the loss doesn’t have to?
Two ways to use it
If you need leave: the core includes short requests you can adapt. Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. Ask for one contact to explain your leave and pay options, coordinate the next steps, and agree on what colleagues are told.
If you want to propose a policy: use the proposal and model policy to start the conversation. You don’t need to share a personal loss. The manager guides cover conversations, coverage, and returning to work.
What the model proposes
Four normal working weeks at full pay per qualifying event, from the start of employment and at any pregnancy stage. Part-time employees receive the benefit on their usual schedule. Partners, intended parents, and gestational carriers are included.
The model also includes broader reproductive loss and neonatal loss provisions for organizations to review. It separates medical recovery from the paid loss benefit, makes repeated loss explicit, and avoids requiring someone to recount their experience to access the employer-funded benefit.
These are proposed organizational commitments. Four weeks is not a legal requirement or a timetable for grief. Medical leave, public benefits, and job protection have their own rules.
A first edition, with room to improve
The core holds the shared policy and process. Illinois, California, and Oregon are the first three state companions; each includes official sources and adaptation notes. Legal sources checked November 7, 2026. These materials provide general information. Check the live sources and obtain local employment-law and benefits review before adopting a policy.
The toolkit has not yet been evaluated through workplace adoption. You’re welcome to share and adapt it; a credit to Owen’s Plan is appreciated. If you use it, I’d like to hear what helped and what needs work. Please leave out anyone else’s private medical details.