How soon did your OH go back to work after baby was born?
If I don't pop sooner than the 29th May, I will be induced that day.....DH has to go to a conference in Paris on the 7th JUNE, so just over a week after I give birth. I'm not particularly happy with this, but there isn't anything I can do about it (except ring up his boss and yell at him!).
I'm worried too in different circumstances that could arise, like what happens if I need a cesarean or something else doesn't go to plan.....
I have had 2 cs 18 months apart, after DS1 DH was back at work (he worked a few days while I was in hospital) and was then home for 5 work days, so by time he went back to work DS1 was 2 weeks old, but he had worked while i was in hospital for 6 days.
DS2 was very similar and I also had a toddler to care for as well as a newborn so was hard work but you just make it work.
Good luck, Its rather sucky that he has to go to Paris so soon afterwards at least furthest my DH went in first 6 weeks was sydney.
When DD was born he had 2 days off them back to work, as there wasn't a lot of point staying at home and I had my mum and MIL around to get what I needed, we wanted him to save as much time for when we went home. When we did go home he had off 3-4 days that was all he could get it was darned hard work as all the family had gone as well, so it was just DD and I....
This time we are planning on a similar set up with DH just taking off a day or two around the birth and then taking the rest when bubs comes home. It will depend on how early bub is born as I may be working inbetween as well, but just from home. But he has a lot of leave saved up so he can take a couple of weeks, the 3-4 days with DD was no where near enough!!!
I would be tempted to ring his boss up too! Especially as he will be in a different country!
Not sure yet! I'm also interested to see what others say - DH has 4 weeks paid parental leave, and we are thinking he might use 2-3 weeks of it straight up, then save one for down the track, in case one of us gets sick or something.
with jack born on a mon released fri we had 5 days in hosp 10hrs from home he then had the next week off then went back i had a c-sect
with luke born fri released tues 4 days in hosp then he had 2 week off then back another c-sect
DH went back to South Africa three days after DS was born (I had my Mum staying thank g@d). DH didn't take anytime at all off after DD, in fact he went back to work in the arvo, he was in the middle of commissioning a mine. Seems like I lucked out with the SAHD part
With our first he was at home on the farm, so he was here all the time anyway and never far away if I needed a break. With #2 he was back at work a few days after I came home, #3 he went back to working 13 day fortnights the day after I came home which was really hard and with #4 he took a week off but he only works a 4 day shift so he went to work for 4 days and then was home for 4 days so that was good.
Wow, have you got some support if he does have to go away? Poor love.
A week's not long if you are in hossy for a few days at least.
Though saying that DH was home for 6weeks after DD and he and I nearly killed each other....sent him back after 10 days with DS. But at least he was just working not overseas.
Are you going to be on your own, or do you have family here?
DH went pretty much straight back to work, but it wasn't on the other side of the planet.
I'd be tempted to call teh boss, yeah - isn't there someone else who isn't about to have a baby that could do it?
I was lucky in that DH stayed home for 4 weeks when DD was born and 6wks when DS was born, but he is well catered with leave for in his workplace. I loved having him home with me especially when DS was born. He was really great with taking over doing stuff with DD and letting me sleep when I needed to. I didn't get very much (if any!) help from other family/friends. I'm hoping he can get similar time off with #3 because we are going to a new town a looong way away from everything we know!
With ds dh had almost 8 weeks off. This was as his birth co-incided with christmas leave (dh is in the raaf and is forced to take off a certain amount of time over christmas). With this babe he is expecting to take off 4-5 weeks. We planned our babies so that dh could save up his leave so he could take a decent amount of time off and plus he is lucky to get 2 weeks paid parental leave.
Dh went back to work immediately. And to be perfectly honest I didn't see the point of him being at home with at the beginning. I enjoyed finding my feet on my own, in my own time and he did the same.
So with Miss M he brought us home from hospital then went to work a couple of hours later. With Miss H he went back to work the next and worked a fortnight straight with no days off.
Personally though I needed him home a couple of weeks down the track when the babymoon was ending, when everything was just getting too much. He stayed home then, when I needed to the timeout to sleep, rest and re-group. Its that point in time when the groove is changing, its been a few weeks, and you realise that you need some break in routine. Well thats how I feel anyhow!
DH worked while I was in hospy with Pip (private, 5 day stay) and then took his 10 paternity days off, then long service leave for another couple of weeks. LSL they can't knock back more than once....
I think this is a bit rich, your DH would have known your EDD before he accepted this assignment.
Will you have good support around you? I don't have a lot of family here so my H was my only support- I would have died if he had gone OS so soon. There is just no way on earth he could have hopped on a plane. My H had 2 weeks off work and we were struggling so much with BFing and sleep (very wakeful, hungry baby) that he then worked the next 2 weeks as 1/2 days (bless his kind boss who took one look at him and sent him home again!). My sister also came to stay with us for the 3rd week as I was NOT coping.
A good friend of mine flew interstate with her partner when he had to go for work when their son was about a week old as she was struggling too and couldn't stay home by herself.
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