Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I feel so upset and torn about this. I want to stay home when the baby is born (after my maternity leave ends, I mean) but I feel like financially it will be too huge of a stretch to do. But the idea of leaving an infant in day care or with a babysitter makes me so sad. I dont want someone else raising my own child.

People keep asking me what my plans are and I feel so stupid but I still honestly don't know! Is anyone else going through this?

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I will not be going back full-time. It makes me nervous to think about but it is more because I am so used to having my own $. I will go back at least a little bit (I can pretty much make my own hours) to keep up with the job and my skills. I would hate to stay home for awhile and then be in a situation where for some reason I HAVE to go back to work and feel out of the loop.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I am a teacher and will not be returning this school year. It was a very hard decisiion and I was torn for a very long time. Money will be tight, but I did't want to put a 3 month old in daycare. We don't have any family here so we will have to spend the money on daycare.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

Being a teacher w/ tenure I get the benefit of an extended, unpaid maternity leave. I'll be taking advantage of that. Don't want to say how long yet because I haven't informed my district and won't until I use all of my sick days

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

So far, I will be going back although I'm hoping to work out a less stressful schedule than my current 60 hr week.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

No, I won't be going back. Staying home with my baby

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I'll stay home for the summer- then start my CFY (speech pathology) in the schools PART TIME. It'll take me a year, but at least I'll be home for most of the week....

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I'll be going back (hopefull for only 4 days)
DH will work from home one day and my mom/his mom will do the rest

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I will have to work- so that is a yes. I'm sure I will be sad to do it- but it has to be done.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

As a BTdoing that Mom I want to say that NO ONE else is raising my baby. I am her only mother. My husband is her only father. The women at her daycare love her,yes but they are NOT her parents. I do not drop her off and just never be involved in her life.
I am the person she cries to when she gets hurt or doesn't feel good. I am her "best friend"..as she told me that the other day.
Her care givers provide her with a safe, loving place to learn and play. She has friends and at 3 can spell her name and count to 20. Last week she started to actually know her letters, more than just singing the song. I credit her daycare with that.

So it is hard to go back and I highly rec'd phasing in to work. Start on a Wed, not a Monday. Work (3) 5 hour days, not full days. Then the next week work Mon, Tues, Thurs, Friday and stay home on Wed. Again, try to work a few less hours and get into your new routine. That truly helps you go back and feel much better.

HUGS.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I'm going to attempt to stay home and see how it goes... I am a certified teacher, so hopefully I can do some tutoring in the evenings.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I'm a professor and will be going back to teaching in the fall - but full time teaching is usually 3 days a week.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I am going back to work 2 months after the baby is born... It is different type of work... I am an opera singer so I booked an opera 2 months after and can't back out of it

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

Probably the day after. I own my own business. But, I can work just a few hours a day.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I have to, there is absolutely no other option for us.

For some reason, it does not really bother me that much. I feel like to keep our quality of life what it is, I need to work.

We aren't going the day care route though, my SMIL will watch the baby on days where both DH and I have to work. DH does shift work while I do 9-5 and it is only once about every four months where we are both working 5 days a week 9-5.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

Posted by johnsae

No, I won't be going back. Staying home with my baby

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

As much as I don't want to, I don't think we can handle losing half of our income.



ETA: But at least New Jersey has additional family leave time.

So I'll get almost 24 weeks at home with the baby before I have to go back.

Message edited 1/4/2007 8:21:44 AM.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

At this point we can't afford for me to not go back to work, although it might not be to the same job. If I can, I would like to find something 3 days a week. DH and I are against putting him in a day care, so we will find someone to watch him at home if we need to or DH is a cop and can switch his schedule around.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

Not sure yet.

I can barely leave my puppy some days, Im not sure how I will leave a baby.

I only work Part time though right now and I guess through the end of the pregnancy so Its not as rough. But that part time money is still needed.

I may try to find something from home for a few hours a day or something to supplment.

Ideally I would like to stay home and try to get back to nursing school and by the time the baby is ready for school ( age 5 what not) I could have a new career

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

There is no way I would be able to stay home after maternity leave. I make significantly more than DH, he would be able to stay home before I could. Luckily my MIL is going to watch the baby when I go back to work. I am taking 14 weeks off for maternity leave and then it is back to work. Luckily, I only work 5 minutes from home so I would be able to go home if need be.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I will be going back to work. DH works very close to home, and there are a few daycares in the area, so we will be going that route.

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I have daycare in my building, so I will return right away. Financially if it could have been otherwise, I might have chosen to stay home, but honestly I get antsy in the house

Re: Are you going back to work after the baby is born?

I will be returning to work once my paid maternity leave is up - not considering unpaid leave at this point. It's a hard decision but a necessary one.

I am fortunate to have a great paying job in a field I like with great benefits. It would hurt my family financially if I were to stay home and I refuse to allow DH to take on a second job and lose more time from his child although he would do it in a heartbeat if it was what I wanted.

I agree with the poster above - no one but my husband and I will raise our child. The daycare center will watch my child, care for my child, and provide some education to my child during the day but we will instill his/her values,we will teach him/her right from wrong, we will sacrifice ourselves to provide a better life for him/her, we will be her core.