Los Angeles - Maternity leave is hard to come by in the United States. So, too, are families with the wherewithal, or the professional leeway, to have one parent take months off work. Hence the arrival of a new trend: companies who allow new mothers to bring their babies to work.

It sounds nuts at first, but the trend is catching on - and not just at mother-and-baby-related business such as baby carrier manufacturers or Mothering magazine. According to a new lobby group called the Parenting in the Workplace Institute, babies are now a feature at work stations in dozens of design companies, advertising agencies, law firms, banks and food manufacturers.  read more »