What happens if you have to stay in postnatal ward with paternity leave?

[MaisieMolly]

My DH has 2 weeks paternity leave which will start when I go into labour I guess as he’ll be there to support me. What happens if me and the baby then have to stay a few days on postnatal ward? He can’t visit or stay because of COVID restrictions, but his paternity leave will be ticking away whilst he sits at home. It seems a bit unfair? Anyone know if there are any exceptions at the moment to allow him a full 2 weeks once we’re home?

No. Although he can book annual leave for the delivery and postpone parental leave. Did you think there were exemptions made for the thousands of fathers of babies in NICU?

When we did the paternity leave thing we had to give four weeks notice to the employer which two weeks he would be off. So we chose a time from a few days past the due date. So about 40.5-42.5 weeks. The baby was born the day before he was due to go back so he had to take a week of unpaid/parental leave which we really could not afford.

When we did the paternity leave thing we had to give four weeks notice to the employer which two weeks he would be off.
@ChanklyBore that was illegal, why did you not just say the day of birth.

We were stuck in hospital for a week, my husband just went to work until we left and then took paternity leave. It meant I was without him during the hospital stay but at least I had the staff.

I thought it had to start on the day of birth, is that not the case?

@toothfairynemesis the same unfairness applies to fathers who’s babies are in NICU if they can’t visit as well. Is it only the mother who is able to visit NICU at the moment? That’s so sad :(

@toothfairynemisis I get what you’re saying about NCIU babies but generally in non COVID times fathers can visit their babies and be a support to their partner.

OP I’d suggest getting your DH to speak to his company about it. He might be able to take flexible annual leave or even unpaid leave to cover the delivery and postpone paternity until you come home. I was in for 5 days before and 5 days after with dc1 and my husband was allowed to take 1/2 days annual leave each day and wfh and from the hospital for those days! (Obviously your dh can’t do thats so I can see why it would make sense for him to carry on working until you come home)

It was a long time ago, the employer needed 28 days notice, we figured starting it after the due date was sensible.

My husband’s paternity leave was used up sitting beside our DD’s incubator in the NICU (as was 9 weeks of my maternity leave) & he took 2 weeks annual leave when we came home.

No my point about NICU isn’t related specifically to Covid. I was making the pint that Fathers with babies in NICU don’t get to spend their paternity leave at home with their babies.
And no it doesn’t need to start on the day of birth.

For the mother, maternity leave starts on the due date or on the day that the baby is born if she hasn't already started maternity leave. For the father, he can take paternity leave whenever during the first year but if you're in labour for five days and then in hospital for five days (for example) then that's ten days of his fourteen day allowance used, if this is what he gets and assuming he does want to use it at the start. This is why a lot of women choose to have the early stages of labour at home without their partners to maximise their time after the baby is born. They are unlikely to admit you until you're in established labour anyway, unless your waters break first and then the clock starts ticking or there is another medical reason.

As others have said, it's harder for the families who have to spend their leave (paternity and maternity) at NICU because you don't get extra time at the end to spend with your (hopefully) well baby. Some work places are beginning to recognise this though and have separate policies in place which is great. A close friend had her baby at 28 weeks. He's now a healthy two year old but the family aren't going to get those 5+ months they spent at the NICU back.

Leave cannot start before the birth. It must end within 56 days of the birth.

You must give your employer 28 days’ notice if you want to change your start date.

You do not have to give a precise date when you want to take leave (for example 1 February). Instead you can give a general time, such as the day of the birth or 1 week after the birth.

For the mother, maternity leave starts on the due date or on the day that the baby is born if she hasn't already started maternity leave

Not for anyone I know. My friend has just gone on maternity leave and shes only 34 weeks pregnant.

Maternity leave can start any time from 29 weeks of pregnancy.

My dh spent all his paternity sat next to me and our ds in nicu (last year) he could have postponed it but if he had gone to work he would not have been in any fit state to actually work and if the worst was to happen he wanted to be there obviously. It's rubbish but just one of those things, in years to come it won't matter how those first two weeks were spent.

Could book holiday/unpaid leave for birth and see how it goes chances are if it's straight forward they will want you home ASAP under the current circumstances

@UnderTheBus
Poster said if she hasn’t already started maternity leave.