Ok I've been thinking about this a bit more and I didn't say in my first post - you *will* need help throughout the first week. You cannot possibly manage with your kids by yourself in that time. Either your DF takes more time off, or perhaps you can find some emergency care for the hours he's at work through your local Family Day Care - is there a friend, aunty, or someone else who can help out? Now is the time to call in favors.