Kasey Simpson shares her first parenting column of 2024.

I'm still considering having a fourth child. The urge is getting stronger with every pregnant friend I see.

My partner and I have sat down to discuss the logistics of it all – to be honest, the financial logistics. With me running my own business, taking leave is not really an option – not that I had any paid parental leave in my line of work previously anyway.

But this time it is different. I never had a (bloated) mortgage during my previous pregnancies. And with the interest rate increases, room to move within our budget is tight.

The only option we have is for my partner to be the primary carer instead. Which is perfectly fine. He is more than open to it and very keen, in fact.

Currently, subject to eligibility, parents can take up to 20 weeks of government parental leave. There are only two weeks' worth of the total leave available to the parent who is not using the majority of the leave. Until July 2025, when it increases to three weeks. So if I want to take longer than two weeks (and seriously, who can recover from giving birth in two – or even three – weeks!), we're going to lose this paid leave. 

To add another layer, the payment is aligned with the minimum wage, $882.80 per week – before tax. Which isn't bad, but definitely won't make a dent in our mortgage. 

Thankfully, my partner has access to long-service leave and has been in his role for a considerable number of years. Our one and only option.

So if we do decide to go ahead and try for another baby, we'll switch our traditional roles.

I'll take as much leave as I need/can and then my partner will take over on the day-to-day baby wrangling. I'm very excited to see what it looks like – if the mental load will shift, if he'll be as stressed as I was. It will probably be a breeze, with him asking what I was ever overwhelmed about.

Stay tuned.