Do I need to re-think this? Re Paternity leave

[redandyellowandpinkandgreen]

DH is self-employed and we can't afford for him to have two weeks off after the baby is born. He aims to have a couple of days off really.

When he is back at work he should be able to arrange his days so he is local, doing small jobs and therefore shorter days. At the most I would expect him to be out of the house for maybe 5-6 hours for the first week or so. Plus he should be able to get back quickly if I need him and maybe to have lunch with us.

My parents and parents-in-law are both on the doorstep.

That's manageable isn't it?

We are in a similar yet different situation. DD is due on Christmas when DH would only have to do very short hours (2/3 hours max) a day for the 2 week xmas holiday period.

He has agreed with his employer that if DD is born over that period he will continue working and take his paternity in the first 2 weeks in January.

I'm thinking that it is manageable - although i guess it depends on a number of factors (fingers crossed for a straight forward birth). :)

My DH is a contractor, he had a couple of days off when DD was born and family helped out after. I had an emergency section with DS, so he managed to take a week off, I came out on the tuesday, DS was readmitted on the Thurdsay and sent home on the saturday morning, and DH went back to working full-time that monday. Family helped after. It is manageable if you have family local.

Well I've not been through this myself (yet), but I think the important thing is that he at least has a couple of days so you're all together and he gets a bit of bonding time too, and that he can get back quickly if you need him. Doing shorter days and staying local is good as well, and you have lots of back-up. Hopefully baby will be co-operative and show up on a day where you can tack his couple of days onto a weekend!

Not everybody is in a position of being able to have a straight two weeks off, and I am sure you will be fine. FWIW, paternity leave is a relatively new thing, people coped before that, although yes it was a bit harder. I think if the GPs weren't close I would maybe be a bit more concerned, but I'm sure you'll be fine.

My DH is having one week off and then two further weeks of half days, giving me a bit of time on my own with baby and still quite a bit of time when he will be available.

D