My XH wasnt in the mining world, but he was navy and when they were doing workups, we would be in on the weekends, and gone for the ntire weeks for at least a month or so, then leave on deployment. I know its not quite the same, but we were TTC as wel. I found out i was pregnant 1 week after he left on a 5 month deployment... he missed alot of my pregnancy.

My SIL is FI/FO (she works in a mine up near newman)