@jdthcstl I'm currently still on paternity leave from my job, I've been lucky enough to have 6 months off plus all my holiday on top. My partner said she didn't think she could do it without me being there. Even little things like making lunch and doing the laundry is so much easier with two adults thete.
The main advantage is seeing your child grow up without worrying about work, the first few months the change so much, thays worth it alone.
@jdthcstl I concur with what everyone else has been saying. I had almost the exact situation as you where my company offers 6 weeks paid paternity leave. When my son was born, I used all 6 weeks on top of an additional 2 weeks of PTO for 8 weeks total.
I definitely recommend taking as much time as you can! You’ll enjoy all the family bonding time and depending on the baby’s temperament you might also get a lot of free time (new borns sleep a TON).
When I have my second child I plan to do the same thing and may take even more PTO. It was really nice to basically have two months off. No regrets so I definitely recommend.
@jdthcstl Take as much time off now that’s offered. It’s hard making less, can be stressful and scary but the way I see it is if I’m able to make it work now when I return to work we’ll be better financially but I will NEVER get this time back with my baby/children. If you have it available, use it, support your wife and learn about your new baby, becoming a parent isn’t easy, working on top of that is even harder. It sounds cliché but cherish these days. Sincerely, broke mom of 3 kids under 6 but know it’s worth it.
@jdthcstl I would suggest taking first month with baby, and then taking another month when baby shows signs of sleep regression around 3-4 months. You will be affected by that sleep deprivation and it will free you up to get through that time and support your partner so she doesn't have to manage it alone. Also, babies tend to get much more responsive around 3months, which would be a shame for you to have only spent full time with them during the needy "cling to mum" first few weeks.
