I’m back again, asking for advice/feedback :). Thanks in advance to anyone who is able to take the time to read and respond!

Our second baby is due Nov. 8 and my mat leave “officially” starts Nov. 4. (unless baby makes an early appearance). We live in Canada so I am able to be off for 12 months, mind you with only 55% of my salary in Employment Insurance Benefits.

DH has the option to also take up to 5 weeks of parental leave, during which time he would also only receive 55% of his salary. While financially this would make it a tough 5 weeks for us, we can make it work, and we both want to take “advantage” of the opportunity with this baby since this supplemental parental leave wasn’t available when our DD was born.

So the question becomes, when should DH take these weeks?

Part of me feels like the first five weeks after baby is born will be the toughest and it would be nice to have DH home 24 hours/day to help with the baby and our 3.5 year old DD. However, this would mean that depending on when baby actually arrives, DH may miss out on good overtime opportunities at work which means more $$ for us. He’s a postal worker so November/December are extra busy months with lots of weekend overtime shifts for parcel delivery (he would not be eligible for these shifts if he is on leave).

Another option is he could take a week’s vacation from Nov. 10-16, and probably a second week either before or after (depending on when baby comes) using accrued lieu days. He could then return to work until the end of Dec., pick up a lot of overtime to help beef up our finances, and then take his five week leave in January (or any other time within 52 weeks of baby’s birth, technically). Of course, this would mean he’d be working more and around less to help at home in Nov./Dec., but my mom is willing/able to step in to help if/while he’s working.

Any advice on what makes more sense from both/either a financial and/or practical perspective?