However, his wife said he would be "abandoning" her by attending the event.
A man is hoping to attend his close friend's out-of-state wedding weeks after the birth of his first baby -- but his wife is not happy about the plan.
The man detailed the dilemma in a post on Reddit's popular "Am I the A------" forum, explaining that he will be taking two months of paternity leave once their baby daughter arrives to help his wife. He said he believes it would be "reasonable" for him to be away for a weekend to attend the wedding.
"But my wife is really hurt, and says I would be 'abandoning' her and the baby if I left them for that amount of time so close to the birth," he wrote, before explaining that he would be leaving her in good hands.
"We have lots of family support in the area, so someone can definitely stay with her for those couple days to make sure she's not left alone with the baby (her sister already volunteered to do so)," the man said.
He then admitted that he doesn't "even really want to go that much" but feels "obligated" to because it's "an important, once-in-a-lifetime event" for his friend.
Fellow Redditors weighed in on the situation in the comments section, and many took the wife's side on the issue, pointing out that welcoming your first baby is also a momentous event.
"The birth of your first child is every bit as much of a 'once-in-a-lifetime event' as your friend's wedding. Except this is happening to YOU and YOUR WIFE, not some college buddy from out of state," one person wrote.
Another said: "Paternity leave is for you to be there with your wife and newborn child, not for you to take a three-day vacation to attend a friend's wedding, regardless of your support system."
A number of people urged the man to consider how physically and emotionally taxing the postpartum period will likely be for his wife.
"Your wife and baby will never be as vulnerable as they are postpartum. She won't be sleeping longer than 2-hour chunks, if she has a C-section she won't be able to lift heavy objects yet," one reader wrote.
"Your wife will be sleep-deprived, hormonal, and still in residual pain after having the baby," another Redditor chimed in. "The first 3 months are bad. If she and your baby can't go, you don't need to either. Don't be the [a------] dad who leaves his newborn and parties it up while his wife is stuck at home."
Some people also told the OP that his wife has made her feelings on the subject quite clear, and he should respect that.
"Your wife is telling you she needs her partner, and you are not listening," one reader said.
Another added: "Your heavily pregnant wife has told you how SHE feels about it already. That is what matters, how SHE feels about you going. She's communicated very clearly with you, and instead of listening, accepting and respecting that you want to come to the internet hoping people will agree with you so you can justify yourself ignoring your partner's wants and focusing on your own?"