Thankfully, the government have a handy calculator on their website for expectant parents to see if they are eligible for ShPP and for how much. Please check their website www.gov.uk/pay-leave-for-parents, for up to date information on all of this. It also covers the eligibility criteria for both birth parents and adoptive parents as there is a slight difference.

The sad fact is that there’s still a fair bit of a stigmatism around shared parental leave, with men often reluctant to broach the subject with their work for fear of ridicule and damage to their career prospects. The good news, however, is that things are changing. More and more employers are actively encouraging expectant parents to share the load, and slowly but surely it’s becoming more and more prevalent in everyday society.

So, if you’re considering shared parental leave here are some of the benefits…

The list of precious moments that don’t fall within the first 2 weeks of parenthood is long, substantial and likely not to wait until mummy or daddy get home from work. Things like baby’s first word, their first spoonful of food, first steps, first time rolling over, first time sitting up. You get the picture. By sharing parental leave, you’re increasing your chances of catching at least some of these wonderful moments. And I know most of us have now got cameras built in our phones nowadays to capture them, but you can’t beat being there in person.

Being a mum can be an overwhelming experience and sharing the load can be a big help. After all, two hands are better than one.

Being off work for 52 weeks can do wonders for the primary carer and baby bonding and development, but it can be difficult to get bang into the swing of things at work after such a big gap. Splitting the leave can help make things easier in this respect.

Under modern shared parental leave regulations both parents can take shared leave however they choose. You can both be off at the same time, you can alternate, you can do it in chunks or spread it out over a longer period of time.

It's always best to know your rights. You can find more detailed information on your rights and protection at www.sharedparentalleave.org.uk.