Dad's Deserve Some Time Off Too.

Taking care of an infant, especially in the first few months, doesn't come easy, and it's quite understandable why maternity leave is mandatory for women in every organization after putting them to bed. The time off always lasts about 3 months, and the woman has the right to choose how to split the weeks between before and after delivery.

You will agree with me that the maternity leave is meant for a mother to recuperate and as well care for her child which is very important, but it baffles me why men are not always considered when it comes to taking a paternity leave as well when their wives put to bed.

I have been involved in this discussion a few times, and I find a lot of people responses cruel and unpleasant to my ears because they think men aren't involved in the pregnancy stress and shouldn't be granted a paternity leave. I won't deny the fact that women go through the most stress, and it's really not easy, but we can't completely write off men's support in the whole nine-month journey and after.

Men being providers doesn't mean they don't do more than just paying the family bills, and I am not speaking just about myself because I have met men who were so involved in the nine-month journey, and I admire them a lot. Many men take up chores at home just to relieve their pregnant wife the stress, they run errands, stay up at night to provide emotional support, and they will still go to their places of work in the morning.

Let's not speak about women who have complications and the craving types whose husbands go through so much stress throughout the pregnancy while still doing everything possible to provide for the family. Aren't these men humans, or is it their destiny to work and work until they pass away?

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We all know that when a woman gives birth, she's given maternity leave to recover and take care of her newborn. Do you feel the father of the baby should also get such treatment? Is he also allowed to go on paternity leave to bond with his child? Or should he simply continue working as usual.

If I am being asked this prompt question a million times, my response will always be that a man who has stood by his wife all through the stress of pregnancy deserves a paternity leave once his wife puts to bed.

Let's put the experience before the delivery aside. What happens to a woman going through all the stress of nursing a baby alone? Family members will be there truly, but will they be there forever? Or what if you are in a distant place where your family just can't rush to until some days or even weeks? Do you expect the woman to kill herself while trying to do the necessary with herself and the baby?

The biggest help a woman needs after delivery is that of her husband, they will be left alone to cater for their child when everyone who came to help leaves, but how do men learn or even play their part in postpartum when they aren't allowed to go on paternity leave?

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I don't know about other men, but it has been my plan to definitely be by my woman's side no matter how tight my work schedule is because the physical and emotional support I am giving would continue all through her postpartum period, so I have to be there whenever she needs me. Paternity leave won't stop with just the woman benefiting from her husband's presence at home because the leave is an opportunity for men to even bond with their babies.

Another thing to consider is the man's level of concentration at work. Do you think his mind won't be traveling forth and back trying to stay updated with what's happening at home? He will definitely want to, especially when he has a deep connection with his wife, or probably it's their first child.

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Giving a man paternity leave shouldn't be a problem, and the only adjustment that I think should be made is the duration of paternity leave. Women get three months, so men don't need that much; a month after delivery is probably okay, depending on the woman's condition during postpartum.

I know this would be abused by a lot of men, and every organization should always get childbirth proof before granting paternity leave. If the man's job requires him to compulsorily be at work every day, the company or organization can come up with a flexible work routine to make things easier for the man.

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