Kathy gets no paid maternity leave, but under the Family and Medical Leave Act, she's allowed to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Which she'll use.
I get no paid paternity leave, but I also can take 12 weeks off under the same law. More significantly, I'm allowed to use accumulated sick leave, up to 12 weeks, and since I have more than 12 weeks of sick leave saved up, I'm able to get paid during paternity leave.
So what we're looking at doing is have Kathy take her 12 weeks off unpaid, then she'll return to work while I take my 12 weeks off paid.
During my time with the baby, Kathy will decide if she wants to stay working full-time, and we'll deal with day care (or not) accordingly.
So few fathers (at least in the U.S.) have the option of taking significant paternity leave, and I feel fortunate that I can. That being said, me taking care of a baby for three months is more than a bit scary -- I was reminded how little I know about infants when we went out to dinner on Friday with friends who have a 1 1/2 month old. But I'll learn.
Kathy will make sure of it.
