ALBANY, N.Y. — Pregnant New Yorkers will be entitled to at least 20 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments under a law that took effect Wednesday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the policy makes New York the first state in the country to offer paid leave for prenatal care.

All pregnant workers in the private sector are eligible for the paid time off. Workers can schedule the paid leave for pregnancy-related medical appointments such as physical examinations, end-of-pregnancy care and fertility treatments, among other things.

Hochul pushed for the measure in the state’s last legislative session as a way to help reduce maternal and infant deaths in New York.

“No pregnant woman in New York should be forced to choose between a paycheck and a check-up - and that’s why I pushed to create the nation’s first paid prenatal leave policy,” Hochul said in a statement last month.

Employers are forbidden from requesting medical information when a worker requests the prenatal paid leave. The policy is separate from any other paid sick leave offered by an employer. Spouses of pregnant women are not eligible for the prenatal leave.