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Tell Shared Parental Leave what your maternity/paternity leave was like: win a voucher!
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The biggest thing for me was the mental support he offered in the early days when I was suffering with anxiety and exhaustion. He was my rock and when he had to go back to work I was riddled with anxiety and worry. He also found that his paternity was early in and mostly about supporting me, whereas it would have been wonderful for him to be able to have taken some time later on once baby was a bit older and he could have enjoyed her rather than worrying about me.
In theory the the idea of shared maternity/paternity is great but as a mum who breast fed, couple with the financial constraints I didn’t feel like we could fully utilise it.
I’m all for the scandanavian approach where dads are given several weeks paternity as a standard and can spread it out over 6 months.
I really enjoyed maternity leave and the relaxed days and the one-on-one time with my baby. Although it can be a bit boring and you do end up watching a lot of box sets on tv whilst feeding the baby and through the sleepy cuddles!
Im dreading going back to work, but have just discovered I'm pregnant again so will only be back for 6 or 7 months. I've always wanted my babies close and looking forward to having bonding time with them both 😍