Alexis Ohanian is emphasising the importance of taking paternity leave.
The Reddit co-founder, who is also married to tennis player Serena Williams has recently opened up about how crucial paternity leave was for him after he and Serena had their first daughter.
Speaking to Oprah Magazine, Alexis described how he had never thought that he would opt for a 16 week paternity leave.
“Then came Olympia, after near-fatal complications forced my wife, Serena, to undergo an emergency C-section,” he said. “Serena spent days in recovery fighting for her life against pulmonary embolisms. When we came home with our baby girl, Serena had a hole in her abdomen that needed bandage changes daily. She was on medication. She couldn’t walk.”
After Serena gave birth, she got to a stage where she felt she could hardly breath, The Guardian reported.
Alexis also tookto his Instagram page to drive the message home.
“I took my full 16 weeks of #PaternityLeave and I’m still ambitious AF and (clearly) care about my career. Talk to your bosses and tell them I sent you.” Ohanian captioned an Instagram post of him and his daughter.
In an article Alexis wrote on Parenting,
he revealed that even though he and his wife had many advantages working in
their favour, “it was still incredibly difficult.”
“I don’t blame my dad, or anybody else’s dad, for not taking time off after a child’s birth. Our culture makes it difficult.” He wrote. “Men who take leave are less likely to get divorced, and have better relationships with their children, research shows.”
“Taking leave also set me off on the right foot for sharing parental responsibilities. Two years later, there is no stigma in our house about me changing diapers, feeding Olympia, doing her hair or anything else I might need to do in a pinch.” Alexis wrote.
