http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkAndFamilies/DG_10029398
[i:6439a3fcbd]How much paternity leave can you take?
You can take either one or two weeks. You can’t take odd days off, and if you take two weeks they must be taken together.
You can choose to start the leave:
on the day the baby’s born
a number of days or weeks after the baby’s born
from a specific date after the first day of the week in which the baby’s expected to be born
Your leave can start on any day of the week (but not before the baby is born), but has to finish within [b:6439a3fcbd]56 days[/b:6439a3fcbd] of the baby being born or, if the baby’s born before the week it was due, within 56 days of the first day of that week.
If your partner has a multiple birth, you’re only allowed one period of paternity leave.
What happens if you lose your baby?
Provided you meet all the other conditions, you can still take paternity leave if your child is:
stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy
born alive at any point of the pregnancy[/i:6439a3fcbd]