How soon will I recover after the birth

[AnaYorks]

Ok, so I've just found out I have been called to attend an employment tribunal - on my due date! There's no way I can avoid attending. The solicitor is going to ask for a postponment, but I'm not at all sure how long to ask for. I was thinking eight weeks - allowing two weeks in case I go overdue, then six weeks recovery, but I have no idea if this is reasonable.

How long do you think I would need after my due date to recover enough to be able to attend something like this (both in terms of my own wellbeing and that of baby)? Also, has anyone got any tips for coping on the day - I'm already thinking about practicalities like feeding the baby (I'm intending to bf).

Any ideas/advice gratefully received! :)

Wow, that's tough as I think it's a how long is a piece of string question! You may have a quick, no complications labour and establish brestfeeding no issues. You may end up needing an EMCS, struggle with infections and still not be feeding in public at 6 weeks.

It's unlikely that you would have established expressing and bottle feeding by that stage (usual recommendation is don't introduce a bottle until breastfeeding is established, at around 4-6 weeks). So the baby will need to come with you, you'll need someone to look after them and time/space to feed. I think babies typically have a growth spurt at around 6 weeks too so you might find you're feeding every hour or more. Would that even be possible? I can imagine they would expect you to be in the tribunal for a few hours at a time which just won't be do-able.

Can you ask for it to be brought forward at least 4 weeks?

How long you'll have to spend at the Tribunal will depend on why you're there. If you're the Claimant or Respondent you'll realistically have to be there for the full hearing. If you are a witness to someone else's case then you can simply turn up, give your evidence, be cross-examined and then leave.

The Tribunal will be sympathetic to your situation. As japhrimel said, it might be better to ask for the hearing to be brought forward to before your due date. Although it may be uncomfortable at that stage attending a hearing, logistically its probably a whole lot easier than trying to attend with a newborn in tow. Good luck!

I'm the claimant, so will have to be there the whole time - hence why I can't get out of going.

My solicitor thinks that they'll have listed for the first available date so it's unlikely I can have it brought forwards.

This is my first baby so I have absolutely nothing to go on - I know everyone's different, but I feel completely in the dark when my solicitor is asking me how long I think I need to postpone for - I just don't know! :(

I'm getting really stressed out at the thought of having to attend the tribunal with leaky boobs, having had no sleep, and worrying about whether my baby needs feeding rather than concentrating on what's going on. I know that attending pretty much anytime within the first few months is going to be tough, but I don't feel I have any option. I just want to get it over with...