Operation will prevent me driving to handover point

[AKP79]

I am no longer a 'lone parent', but I am still navigating separated parenting issues so I'm hoping this is the right place to post.

I have a court order which stipulates that I have to meet my ex halfway for handovers. The halfway point is over one hour away. However, I am pregnant now and will have to have an elective C-Section which could mean not being able to drive for up to 8 weeks. The Sunday pick up will be fine because my partner can do this, but I won't be able to take my son on the Friday and my partner will be at work until late.

My ex is completely unreasonable and it is like talking to a brick wall half the time so having an adult conversation will be impossible. Does anyone know where I stand legally on this?

Also to add, I dont believe it's fair to ask my partner to drive all the way to my ex and back on the Sunday in return for ex doing the full journey on the Friday. My partner only gets 1-2 days off a week, so would end up spending 5 hours in the car on a Sunday collecting DS.

I realise that if this is what we have to do legally then we will have to suck it up, but it would be a difficult pill to swallow to be taking time spent with a newborn from my partner.

I don't know. I would post on legal or ask a solicitor.

It's highly unlikely to 8 weeks, most ppl can drive after 4 or 5.

Work out a compromise. Say your partner does two of the journeys and your ex does the other two. Don't worry about the legalities no court in the land is going to get involved in such a temporary non-problem.

If your ex won't do it than your partner has to, you're a family now. It's a few weeks, just deal with it.

Thanks for the advice. We talked about it at length last night and my partner is determined that by hook or by crook he will make it work. I've also posted in legal and have had some advice there.

I had a section with DS and was unable to drive for 10 weeks with him. It's not a straight forward section for me unfortunately hence why I was erring on 8 weeks. I do realise some people drive a lot earlier as I had friends who did.

In your situation I would be expecting him to do the driving temporarily.
Especially from the sound of your recovery time previously, you are likely to be needing a lot of help from DP, and with him only having 1-2 days off a week he's likely to be exhausted and not the safest of drivers.

Obviously you might end up with a calm easy baby, but if you have a baby who wakes a lot and takes a lot of settling then him driving the whole way (so taking it to mean that's 2 and a half-3 hours) and then the same distance back on his only day off and when not getting sleep isn't safe.

Surely it would be easier for you keeping DC1 at home than having basically the whole day taken up travelling, I thought the standard arrangements were the none residential parent does the travelling unless its 50/50, otherwise it's just making more work for the person doing basically all the parenting already.