A heartbroken new dad is being kept from seeing his newborn daughter, after he missed her birth. But was it really his fault?

The 28-year-old first-time-dad and his 27-year-old wife had been trying for a baby for three years, before finally getting the exciting news that they were expecting.

“When my wife found out she was pregnant we were thrilled and have been getting prepared for months now,” he explained on reddit.

Despite having everything ready for the birth, the expecting dad was at work when his wife went into labour – and his boss, who happens to be his dad, wouldn’t let him leave.

“My dad is a real a**hole, but he keeps me employed. He owns a pretty nice Italian restaurant that has been run by my family for decades. I’ve worked there since i was about 15 and I am now head chef. The problem is he treats his employees pretty bad (including me) and if you even miss one shift you get demoted or even worse fired.

“I was in the middle of a very hectic shift on the busiest day of the week when my MIL called saying my wife went into labour and I needed to get to the hospital right away. When I asked my dad if I could go he said, ‘You can go if your ok with being unemployed’ which I couldn’t risk because after the baby was born my wife would be off work for quite a while to be a stay at home mum.

“The reason my dad was so mad at the idea of me leaving was because he was understaffed and really needed my help.”

“When I tried calling my MIL she wouldn’t pick up so I just kept working and that I thought could explain myself later. Later when it was time to go home I drove to the hospital but MIL and her sisters refused to let me in the room and called me names like ‘a bad father and a bad husband’. When it was finally time to leave the hospital my wife and newborn baby went home with MIL and they haven’t spoken to me in days even when I try and apologise and explain myself.

“I thought I was doing the right thing but I need to know, am I the a**hole?”

What do you think he should’ve done? Let us know in the comments below.