Probably at least 2 weeks, but 1 month is ideal. My MIL lives out of the country and will be coming to help for 2 months, my husband can take up to 3 weeks off for baby bonding but he might not use it all up at once. He will save the days for when my MIL leaves. It's always good to have another pair of hands. when I had my first, my MIL cooked all the meals and helped with baby during the day when I try to get some sleep. At night it was my hubby and me. Now with the second one, i need more help bc my 1st is 8 YO and she has a whole bunch of extracurricular activities and will need someone to drive her around. I'm sure not everyone is as lucky to have all this help, but being a FTM, the 1st month is tough.