Paternity leave: how long and when to book it for?

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hi, DH is technically self employed but has a boss IYKWIM so ther isn't a policy for paternity leave where he works, can't play it by ear as he'll need to book cover

how long do DHs usually take off and when should he book it for? DC1 was born at 40 weeks so no 2 prob won't be early?

thanks

I am due on a Thursday so my DH has booked the following 2 weeks off starting with the Monday just to make it look easy in the diary. I think he will in reality take the 2 weeks starting with the day I give birth but where we work, soemthing has to go in the diary, even if it gets changed when the time comes.

Our paternity policy is good (2 weeks full pay) otherwise he was umming and erring about only taking a week and possibly tacking on a week's holiday.

My DH is taking 2 weeks off. He's starting it on the day labour starts. His school are very flexible. One week is full pay too, so we're quite lucky

my dp took 2 weeks off starting on the day i went into labour. i thought this was pretty much the norm. you can't book in a baby's birth, they come when they want to.

It varies hugely - not everyone can take it [they're entitled to it, but on statutory pay, quite often don't take it]. especially self employed and people working for small companies.
Can you arrange for someone else to be around to help out at short notice ? Provided your DH can drop everything when you actually are in labour, if you have a friend or family around he could book in two weeks for later on and spend it with you, the baby and your DC1 then.

My DH was not allowed to take it on the basis that he hadn't given any notice - I was induced at 34 + 5 with severe PE.
He had to take a weeks' leave instead.

This is the same boss who docked him half a day pay when DD1 was taken to hospital with suspected meningitis though.

I think you can imagine what my opinion of him is.

You certainly have to give notice at my place (DH and I work for the same firm) but they have been flexible where people haven't sorted themselves out too. One of DH's colleagues hadn't even looked into it until his wife went into labour and they rushed it through that day.

But our policy says you need to book it around the same time your wife would give her MATB1 in (which was 26 weeks in my case). I gave DH a scan of my MATB1 form as my HR contact said it might be needed.