First of all, congrats!

If you can afford to, I would just go on mat leave and collect EI. Maybe I just don't know anything about hiring an assistant but I just can't see how it would work. I feel like as providers we hardly make that much after expenses, if you are then going to hire someone whom you have to pay out of your already scarce income, is it really that far off financially than just going on mat leave?

Plus you have to check out insurance to see if it's even doable.