Taking 6 weeks paternity leave and I'm terrified of coming back

Dec 191 min read

Baby #2 arrives in October and I'm taking the full 6 weeks my company offers. But honestly? I'm scared shitless about returning to work. With kid #1 (now 4), I went back after 2 weeks and basically ghosted the whole newborn phase. Photos from my phone from month 2-3 are mostly just work stuff.

This time I actually want to be there. But I know my team is gonna be slammed when I return. The guilt about "leaving them hanging" is already creeping in and the baby isn't even born yet.

Any dads gone through this? How do you mentally prepare for that transition back?

6 comments139 views

Comments(6)

TTim B.RegularDec 20

One thing that helped me was staying connected to one project at work while on leave so coming back wasn't such a hard reset. Might help with the fear part

BBrian L.RegularDec 21

Real talk: the guilt about leaving is part of the deal but it gets easier after like a week. You remember you're actually a better parent when you're not completely losing your mind at home

DDerek P.RegularDec 21

That 2-week thing with kid #1 sounds brutal and honestly I bet you're gonna feel completely different this time now that you know what you're missing. You'll actually be able to be present during those 6 weeks

AAl G.RegularDec 21

The fear is real but honestly you've already done this once. You know you can come back. And this time you've got 6 weeks to actually bond with the baby before jumping back in

FFinn M.RegularDec 20

Don't sell short what those 6 weeks could do for your mental health and family. You're gonna feel way different about returning after actually having time to settle in with the baby

GGary R.RegularDec 21

I took 8 weeks with my second and coming back was actually easier because I'd already been through the newborn chaos with my first. You know what to expect now. And the break was worth it