Finally back to our original environment. Looking back at the schedule from returning to my wife's parents' home for childbirth to childcare and work

Thank you for reading! I am Yuhei Tonosho, a travel and regional information writer.

On a personal note, our long-awaited first child was born in February 2024, and in February and MarchI took paternity leave (postpartum paternity leave).

After taking time off work to focus on childcare for about three weeks in February and about one week in March, I spent April and May working remotely while raising our child at my wife's parents' home. And today, Saturday, May 18th, we are returning to our own home from my wife's parents' house.

I would like to look back on this schedule as a memorandum.

December & January: Preparation for childbirth and childcare

Considering the environment that supports painless delivery and makes postpartum childcare easier, we decided that my wife would return to her parents' home for the birth. At the time, I felt a bit lonely thinking, It will be nearly half a year before we can all live together at home again...

I returned to living alone, and I deeply felt how much my wife had been supporting me. While working quite hard every day with both my main job and side jobs, doing all the housework by myself was quite difficult.

To take paternity leave (postpartum paternity leave), I ran around both inside and outside the company. I planned to be able to work remotely from my wife's parents' home. Specifically, I comprehensively obtained consent from clients that online contact would be acceptable, and based on that, I persuaded my boss.

As for my side jobs, I didn't know how much capacity I would have to work during February and March when the birth and childcare would take place, so I finished all the projects that were visible by mid-January.

From late January, I was on standby while working remotely from my wife's parents' home so that I could run to the hospital whenever labor started! I also did a final check to see if we had everything necessary for childbirth and childcare, and when and how to submit various documents such as child allowance and birth registration.

February: Taking paternity leave and living day-to-day with childcare

The birth happened almost on the expected date. It takes an hour and a half by car to get to the hospital, and even at the hospital, there is intense pain until the anesthesia is administered, but my wife really did her best!

After the birth, both mother and baby were hospitalized for a few days. During that time, I returned home to clean and proceed with the paperwork. A few days later, I went to the hospital to coincide with her discharge, picked them both up, and then spent my days devoted to childcare at my wife's parents' home.

In addition to it being our first time raising a child, the baby's sleep schedule wasn't set, so we thought about the best formation as a couple and dealt with childcare on a day-to-day basis.

Thanks to the paternity leave (postpartum paternity leave), I didn't have to worry about work, and I could think only about childcare, and it was huge that I was able to learn all the childcare tasks one by one, such as bottle feeding, changing diapers, and bathing.

I have posted several articles on note about how I spent my paternity leave (postpartum paternity leave), so please take a look at those.

Thinking back now, the newborn's soft expressions and voice were truly adorable, so I felt very happy to be able to spend time watching the daily growth. And, I am also grateful to my wife's mother who did all the housework.

March: Trial and error with childcare and work

Post-birth childcare leave (paternity leave)If I took it for a full month straight, it seemed like it would hinder my main job and salary (if I took a month off, I would have to be removed from my assigned clients, meaning zero incentives), so I decided to take it in split periods.

However, since I was basically working remotely from my wife's parents' home, I did as much childcare as I could. Diaper changes and baths during the day were a must. From 2:30 AM to 7:00 AM, when I couldn't do my main job, I took on childcare duty while my wife slept (this system has been in place since February, but...)

Also, I realized the benefits of flextime. By securing break times throughout the day in addition to the one-hour lunch break, I was able to participate in childcare even between work tasks.

Since both split periods of my post-birth childcare leave (paternity leave) fell at the end of the month, I was glad that I was able to get two months' worth of social insurance premiums exempted.

April: Returning to work while leaving childcare to my wife

Since it was the new fiscal year, I visited my key clients in my main job. Because of that, I ended up going back and forth between remote work at my wife's parents' home and working where our house is.

By this point, the baby's internal clock had finally adjusted to an adult's, and situations where we couldn't sleep at night decreased drastically. It was a relief that the burden on my wife, who had to handle childcare alone when I wasn't around for work, was reduced.

Around this time, the baby's expressions became richer and they started babbling a lot, and I was moved that they seemed to recognize me! There is a different kind of cuteness compared to when they were a newborn. Before I knew it, they had doubled their birth weight.

Since the cherry blossoms bloomed late this year, we went for our shrine visit in early April to coincide with the full bloom. A small, private family photo session is also nice!

May: Moving to normal operations, anticipating our original life

We usually go on a trip during Golden Week, but this year we spent it relaxing. While enjoying childcare, I made it a daily routine to go hiking in the mountains near my wife's parents' home using my spare time in the morning. I felt once again that even if the form changes, I want to cherish my hobbies forever.

Also, I have become completely used to childcare, and my hands move naturally without having to put it into words. I feel like I have made sufficient preparations for when we return home and live as a family of three.

I have returned to full-scale work for both my main job and side job, and I have set balancing childcare and work as my goal for this fiscal year. Since I have become more efficient with my time and completely used to childcare, I feel like my capacity has increased significantly since February and March.

I'm worried that my child, who occasionally lets out strange cries, might bother the neighbors in our apartment (lol), but we are finally returning to our life in our original environment. I am really looking forward to what every day will be like from now on.