BlueMilk hits a home run with her post about maternity leave:

Maternity leave is not a holiday - it is paid leave to physically and mentally recover from an extremely taxing biological experience - childbirth, as well as time to establish a bond with the baby. Don’t underestimate the second of these. The baby’s very life depends on its bond with the primary care giver (in most cases a mother). It is essential for the physical and psychological health of the baby (and indeed the adult it will become one day) that it has a secure bond with its mother (primary care giver). We all have a vested interest in this outcome because we have to share our planet, if not our neighborhood with them.

Go see the rest. She's responding to a commenter who opposes paid maternity leaves. It's good stuff.