Maternity Leave and Acquisition

My company, a 300 person mature startup was purchased by one of the top 10 largest companies in the US earlier this year. At my company, I am in a significant and visible role, just below c-suite. I was given a 3-year retention contract, which I would be paid out on in the event that I was let go. If I remain with the company, I am paid out in equal installments on the anniversary date of the acquisition each year.

The overall integration of our company into this massive organization has been nothing short of a disaster. To add to that, I am currently pregnant, due within the week and still have not been given clarity on what maternity leave I fall under as the full HR integration has not occurred. From what I gather though, it sounds like I will be totally screwed as the HR integration is planned to occur during my maternity leave

Some key facts: Due date: First week of Nov 2025 HR Integration Date: Dec 21, 2025 Legacy Company Policy: total of 16 weeks full pay: 6 weeks STD, 10 weeks "bonding time" New Company Policy: total of 12 weeks full pay: 8 weeks "maternity" (includes STD), 4 weeks "bonding time"

I am being told that I will only qualify for 10 weeks of pay as the initial 6 weeks of STD will occur under my legacy company policy, prior to the 12/21 transition. Then, I will not qualify for "maternity" leave under the new policy. I will only qualify for 4 weeks of "bonding time".

Basically, because of the timing of this HR transition, I am receiving less paid time off for maternity leave than either company policy accomodates for. This is all due to the timeline of an HR transition that they expedited within the past few months.

Questions:

• Is this transition of policy even legal in the first place? If my leave of absense begins under one policy, can they switch it mid-way?
• I still do not have a clear answer on this. At what point does this become a total legal issue? My due date is in 6 days and I have no idea how long I will be paid for.
• Would I have a case for a lawsuit if I am in fact only paid for the 10 weeks? This does not coincide with either policy.
• If I do have a case and speak to a lawyer, am I totally burning bridges at my company?

Location: New York, NY