Nonbirthing parents, paid parental leave, and the lived experience: A qualitative analysis of military parents.

= 3.6 years). Most participants took their entire leave entitlement of 12 weeks (71.4%), and leave was primarily taken in increments (78.6%). The reflexive thematic analysis resulted in an overarching theme, "Enough Time to Pause, Parent, and Proceed." This overarching theme comprised of three interdependent themes, with subthemes: (a) factors influencing leave entitlement usage (subthemes: "command responsibilities," "flexibility," "command support," and "stigma"); (b) family experiences while on leave (subthemes: "hands-on parenting: bonding, learning, and growth," "family bonding beyond the newborn," "parenthood and partnership"); and (c) readiness (subthemes: "personal readiness," "family readiness"). The findings from this study expand our understanding of nonbirthing parents paid parental leave experience, and how it impacted themselves, their family, and their return to military duty. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).