No 'show' or waters broken yet, is my boss gonna understand if I don't go in or should I MTFU and get in to work as it's only the start of labour?
Which would you rather miss: the meeting or the birth of your child?
MTFU and tell your boss you won't be in.
Erm...
no idea? is he a caveman? what is the plan for when you are off on paternity leave?
Wife started having contractions? Quick! Post on STW about my work-based dilemma! 😆
I get the feeling I've asked a silly question and will need my flameproof suit
You honestly have to ask here?
Hope this is a troll
Go to the meeting - your wife, the mother of the child she's presumably struggled to carry for months, will understand.
Your life is going to change my friend...............
Any boss who doesn't understand me missing a meeting to be with my wife when she's in labour is a boss I wouldn't want to work for.
The fact that you're asking this question suggests that you think your boss is a arsehole.
Mrs Ivnickkate says unless it's winning the lottery don't go. This is a censored response though. 😀
the easy answer, what ever your wife says, unless she says go to the meeting as she really means "YOU WOULD RATHER GO TO THE MEETING THAN SEE THE BIRTH OF YOUR CHILD"
no kids here though maybe I'm wrong
😯
Boy it must be an important meeting!
When we were about at about the same stage I was incapable of speech, let alone the expression of any kind of question - if ever there was a time when it is reasonable for your common sense to desert you and necessitate the hive stepping forward to keep you on the right path this is it!
Good luck!
*Go to the meeting, the sprogs going to make your life miserable for at least the next sixteen years.
What difference will a day make?*
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*this is not good advice..do not attempt to follow this advice..if you do, you're an idiot*
Take your wife to the meeting.
Conference call from the birthing suite.. you could probably sneak some gas and air when nobody is looking... just cover the microphone when your wife screams in agony.
It'll just be Brixton hicks
TheBrick - MemberThe fact that you're asking this question suggests that you think your boss is a arsehole.
+100,000
My boss can be a bit of a David Brent meets Bullshit Bingo merchant but even he would say WTF are you doing in work at such a time!!!
Antenatal class reckoned I should go as this is the 'latent phase' and could last a week. Wife reckons I should be going in. I'm not too sure.
At the meeting, your boss will tell you what a tuuat you are, so why go?
However, if it's your first (as it most certainly seems) and work isn't much further from the hospital than home - don't start paternity leave early.
If you want your absence at the birth of your child to be raised on a daily basis until the day you die then go to the meeting
How far is work from where you live/ need to go to hospital?
If more than 15mins stay at home
If you went, you wouldn't be concentrating on the meeting. Best they send someone else.
Not that you should need an excuse.
At the meeting, your boss will tell you what a tuuat you are, so why go?However, if it's your first (as it most certainly seems) and work isn't much further from the hospital than home - don't start paternity leave early.
He's a good bloke tbh, I've worked for him before but only been with this co. for 7 weeks and there's a big hitter attending tomorrow. Sadly work is over an hour away, potentially two if m-way's blocked on a friday afternoon. It is my first.
I don't care who your boss is, how well paid your job is. Your wife is more important.
I don't suppose she'll let you check how dilated she is? 8)
That gives you a clue whether they're Braxton Hicks or the real thing.
All the best to the 3 of you!
Not sure what the big deal is, unless the contractions are very frequent or the meeting is absolutely miles away then just go to the meeting.
She can call you if she needs to.
If she wakes you at 4am and tells you her waters have broken, you'll very quickly forget about anything else. If it's just warm up contractions, carry on working as you'll want as much time off after as you can scrounge.
Assuming that 7 weeks with company = no statutory paternity tho? Hope they're able to be flexible & allow you some time off.
You [b]had[/b] an important meeting tomorrow.
I wouldn't run the risk, for our second one I only just arrived on time. Don't think I would have forgiven myself if I had of missed it I know the other half wouldn't . All the best to you all mike
If you have to ask you haven't really understood the whole concept of fatherhood? What were/ are you thinking? You ain't ready!
Your first child??? Don't make the mistake of presuming she knows what to do cause she's the female of the species...!
Father/ dad of 5 here.
I get the feeling I've asked a silly question and will need my flameproof suit
I get the feeling that if you didn't actually know that it was a silly question before you asked it....
Your flameproof suit will be made of petrol soaked big roll.
Missing a meeting is nothing. I had to sit in a hospital room on a glorious Saturday instead of riding. Nurse got angry when I asked if I could go out for a quick ride - baby cut out at 7pm so could have gone.... 🙂
What kind of contractions?
1) ooh I felt someting
2) OOOH! AAAAH! Pant pant pant breeeathe
3) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Type 1 aren't much to worry about, could be Braxton Hicks, you could be weeks away. Type 2 will be followed by type 3 soon enough so I'd say yes you do have a very important meeting tomorrow.. just probably not the one in your calendar.
Your boss does know about the imminent arrival yes?
If you have to ask you haven't really understood the whole concept of fatherhood? What were/ are you thinking? You ain't ready!
Christ... You appreciate that for the majority of human history fathers weren't usually present, right?
Christ... You appreciate that for the majority of human history fathers weren't usually present, right?
Exactly. I think people can get a bit carried away by the whole new man thing. The baby is inside the woman, at the end of the day it won't matter particularly whether he's there or not. She's the one that's pregnant.
It's kind of trivialising the woman's role in the whole process to suggest that the presence of the man is so essential at the birth.
The fact of the matter is that the bloke is fairly incidental at this point.
The baby is inside the woman, at the end of the day it won't matter particularly whether he's there or not. She's the one that's pregnant.
I must say that, being female and having given birth 3 times, I really couldn't care less who was in the room at the time. I was too busy 🙂
So long as you are there afterwards though, when she has come back to reality!
My wife appreciated my presence greatly.
To answer molgrips question, they're the ooh, felt something and my stomach feels like it's being vacuum wrapped
Take the advice of a midwife (even the duty one who doesn't know your missus from adam/eve).
I went to work three hours after my wife's contractions started at 40 weeks, and felt better about it for asking one of my GP colleagues whether I should realy be at work. Yes, a real live GP. She said "yeah, probably nothing too serious right now, just keep your phone on." Fortunately, I went with what the midwife advised instead, and was holding my daughter 3 hours later, this was three hours before I was otherwise due to finish work.
You may not believe me, but my wife is about to give birth too. Any time.
There is an app counting time between contractions etc...very helpfull to manage your progress. Guess your OH had a chat with maternity unit already?
If its a first child, most probably it won't be fast at all. Our first one came in 36hours, hope your wife won't struggle for that long. You have plenty of time to chit-chat on STW, so it's all good.
Those contractions can last I tell you. Colleague of mine went through them for few days, she gave birth only after -induction- etc.
Once your child is born and you feel them in your arms, you will know what a wally you've been even asking this question
If this was an exact science, there wouldn't be half as many midwives and maternity suites. It might be nothing, you might already be holding the baby before bedtime. If you go to work, will your wife have someone to stay with her and get her to the ward if needs?
