Re: Working moms support thread

Hi I'm Jen and I will be a working mom in a few months...I just started my maternity leave and I am not going back until November but I am already dreading it In order to pay the mortgage, I gotta work!

I'm glad to see this thread and the support that it can offer

My main concern is balancing it all and also right now trying to find a sitter or daycare for my DS....I've checked out a few places but nothing is in place yet..I have a very hard time trusting people and I need to feel comfortable so I don't have an anxiety attack every day at work!

Re: Working moms support thread

Another FT working Mom here!

I work a job were OT is mandatory if we get busy. I sometimes don't know until a few minutes before quitting time of I am leaving on time. My job has always been like that.....it was much easier to deal with before DS was waiting for me at the end of a day

On a 2 week rotation.....I work a 6 day week one week....have 1 day off...work 4 days ....then have 3 days off. that long week is REALLY tough.

Tonight I am vegging because I need too. I normally am running ragged once DS hits the mattress for bedtime!

I RARELY do chores or any sort while DS is awake.....I choose to let things go till bedtime so I can spend more time with him.

Though lately I am thinking maybe 1 or 2 nights a week I need to do some cleaning up while DH plays with DS to allow some more "ME" time when he gets to bed.....and maybe 1 or 2 nights for DH to do the cleaning up......

Re: Working moms support thread

Hi. My name is Jaime. I have a 10 month old son. I went back to work when he was six months old by choice. It was hard to juggle working, being a mom and being a wife. My relationship with my husband suffered some after having ur DS b/c I just could not find the time for him, or "us". It was not something I thought would ever happen, but it did. We worked through it and now everything is great. Going back to work increased my confidence as a person, made me feel like I was something other than a "mom". Going back to work improved my relationship with my husband...and got me out of doing laundry on a daily basis. I could never be a stay at home mom...I think it would be too hard for me...

Message edited 8/21/2009 2:49:22 PM.

Re: Working moms support thread

Hi, I'm Rachel and I'm a working mom because I would lose my mind as a SAHM! I LOVE my job But, I also get summers and vacations off, so it makes it easier.
It's tough with scheduling and running around and getting things done, HOWEVER, the things I love about working are:

Using the bathroom all by myself. It's awesome!
Stopping at the store on my way home without having to bring Ava in.
Eating my lunch without having to share with someone or even talk to anyone.
Getting to BS with my friends every morning over coffee.
Listening to my own music, instead of the damn Backyardigans or Doodlebops, to and from work.
Appreciating every moment I spend with Ava when I get home because we haven't been attached at the hip all day.
Not having to be home to keep the house clean all day.
Not having to stare at dirty laundry all the time (let's face it, I'm just staring at it when I'm home all day).
Let's see, I could go on because there's so many reasons I love to work, but I will leave it off with:
I love being a working mom because Ava has such pride in her voice when she tells people that I'm a music teacher and that someday she wants to be one, too.

Re: Working moms support thread

Great thread :)
I am Liz and I am a working mom by necessity and by choice. We need my salary, but if we didn't need it, I think I would work atleast part time. I am a teacher and worked summer school and am home for one week and I am more exhausted this week then every day I teach. DS is 11.5 months and I feel like I am constantly chasing after him! I love DS though and miss him every second I am away. My desk at work is a shrine to him LOL!

Re: Working moms support thread

Great idea!

I am Karen and I am a FT working Mom because I pay 1/2 the mortgage

I like my job, but would love to work part time. However, part time jobs that pay somewhat well are hard to come by in my industry, so I don't see that happening...

I am okay with and have come to terms with being a working Mom, but it was a really tough adjustment for me in the beginning.

It helps that DH changed his hours at work so he now spends all of his afternoons and one weekday per week with DS. It is tough on us both - we are tired ALL the time... but we both feel that we are doing the best we can for DS!

Re: Working moms support thread

Hi! I'm Alison and I am a FT working mom from September through June. I teach high school, and so does my DH. So, even though things get hectic and I am sad to leave DS at daycare, we are lucky to have time together as a family in the afternoons and evenings. Some mornings it is so hard to leave DS, but he really has a great time at daycare. I think if I had a choice, I would have stayed home until DS goes to school.... but I had to go back when he was almost a year old. I hope I can stay home for the first year if we have more children.

Re: Working moms support thread

My name is Lisa and I am a working mom of 2. Right now I am not working because I was let go but I will be going back to work as soon as I can get a new job. I was working full time when DS was born and it was hard to leave him and not see him do things for the first time but when I was with him I cherished every moment even more. I have been with DD now since the day she was born. I think it is going to be hard this time to finally go back to work not only on me but also my children.

Re: Working moms support thread

Hi all! My name is Gabi and I am a F/T working mom. I would leave work in second if I had the choice but I don't. On the bright side- I can retire in 8 years!! Sooooo looking forward to that!! I have a DD- Reilly who is 10 months old and the light of my life. DD#2 is on the way and is due on Christmas. DH has 3 kids from his prior marriage so our house is very full every other weekend. We do not use daycare; we couldn't afford it anyway... I am up with Reilly at 7am until 2pm and then I meet DH off the Northern State Pkwy and swap her on my way to work and DH is on the way home. I work until 12am and get home by 1am. 6 hours of sleep for me then I do it all over again at 7am the next day. Needless to say, I am always tired- preggo or not. But Reilly is worth it and so is keeping our house!

Re: Working moms support thread

I go back after my second long term maternity leave on Monday I have to say, although I am terrified how I am going to do this two kids and a job that starts at 7:30am, plus a baby that STILL doesn't sleep through the night, I am excited to go back to work. I love being at home but luckily, love my job as well so it makes it easier. But I still have no idea how I am going to balance it all. I am also lucky that I am really happy with both care taking situations for my children.

Re: Working moms support thread

Posted by twinkletoes807

Hi all! My name is Gabi and I am a F/T working mom. I would leave work in second if I had the choice but I don't. On the bright side- I can retire in 8 years!! Sooooo looking forward to that!! I have a DD- Reilly who is 10 months old and the light of my life. DD#2 is on the way and is due on Christmas. DH has 3 kids from his prior marriage so our house is very full every other weekend. We do not use daycare; we couldn't afford it anyway... I am up with Reilly at 7am until 2pm and then I meet DH off the Northern State Pkwy and swap her on my way to work and DH is on the way home. I work until 12am and get home by 1am. 6 hours of sleep for me then I do it all over again at 7am the next day. Needless to say, I am always tired- preggo or not. But Reilly is worth it and so is keeping our house!

Re: Working moms support thread

Posted by leighdvm

Hey all, I'm Michele, and a working mom NOT by choice

I miss my babies so much during the day.....but sometimes, on the weekends, I"m looking forward to Monday when I can drop them off because they are exhausting. Am I terrible? Still, if I had a choice, I'd be home with them. I miss them so much right now that I ache....

Re: Working moms support thread

Hi all, I'm Kristie and not a working mom by choice. I get to return back to work monday from maternity leave and am soo not looking foward to it.
I have to work since I have the health benefits and it just sucks. If it wasn't for that I think I would have quit my job by now.

Re: Working moms support thread

It's great to see so many working moms!!!

Some by choice, and not.

I hear ya about the health insurance thing too. Don't even GET me started on that rant.

DH is self-employed so I carry our insurance, and he doesn't bring home "regular" pay-checks which is another main reason I have to work. Half my pay-check every week goes to health insurance but what else can I do?

Re: Working moms support thread

F/T working mom here - I really like work, but just wish it could be P/T or my commute could be shorter - commute is 1 1/2 hours each way. DS is 1 1/2 and I am 13 weeks along with #2. I am so tired it is ridiculous. My house is a wreck and needs serious renovations, but who has the time or energy or money. My parents live 1 hour away and my ILs are not that helpful. It is exhausting to be at work everyday and then come home. As much as I adore spending time with my DS, when that 8:00 bedtime comes, I cherish it.

Re: Working moms support thread

Hi, Nadia
I work full time (not by choice) and have a 20 month old dd and due with #2 in 11 days or so. I'm looking forward to my maternity leave...well even though I think its going to be tough to adjust to, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I too, love working but would love to be just part-time (that would be the best of both worlds). I can honestly say I don't think I can handle being a full time SAHM, I would need a break and work is like an escape. Luckily when I return from my maternity leave which I will be taking 12 weeks, I can return part-time for one year. So I will be working 3 days a wk for a year if we can manage it financially and then I have to return full time.
I already signed up my two girls for daycare for November, which kills me. Right now my friend's mom watches dd for me, but she will not watch both dds for me, so we had no choice.

Re: Working moms support thread

Posted by prncsslehcar


I love being a working mom because Ava has such pride in her voice when she tells people that I'm a music teacher and that someday she wants to be one, too.

Re: Working moms support thread

Hi I am Nicole and I am a working mom. I am a NYC public school teacher so my hours with my commute are 545am-515pm. It is hard and I don't want to go back in two weeks I think if I were a teacher on LI it wouldn't be so bad but it is impossible to get a job.

Re: Working moms support thread

I am Tracy and my DD is Emma, age 2.

I have to work but I would work at least PT anyway. I teach middle school ELA in NYC. My day is fairly long but not bad- I leave at 5:45 and get home by 4:30. My DH also teaches and one plus is that we get the summers off together. My last school year was a rough one so I am hoping that things are better this year. In a perfect world I'd be able to work in Borders full time so that I wouldn't have to deal with work at home, maybe someday.

Re: Working moms support thread

I'm a working mom of a 6 & almost 8 year old. I'm an HR manager at a software company in Manhattan.

I'll say it's by choice because we could afford for one of us to stay home but ultimately it's because I believe it's important for me to be able to support my family on my own if I have to at a later date. I do worry for SAHMs & how they will support themselves when their marriage does end (death or divorce, it always does end at one point).

I love my job & have 3 hours each way on the train that is my time. But ideally, I'd love shorter hours & am envious of the moms that leisurely drop off their kids to school in the am and stand around making plans with other SAHMs as to whose house they're meeting at later. My only guilt is that I feel like my kids miss out on playdates because I'm not home - even if they are in the afterschool program at school where they're playing with kids for 3 hours afterwards. This year I'm signing them up for boyscouts & brownies after school so they'll be more involved with kids in their own grade.

One warning for the working moms is the school calendar is a killer with 1/2 day offs & vacations. Most of my days off are not true vacation days, but days I'm running around.

Megamillions ticket has been bought.

Re: Working moms support thread

Another FT working mom. I have a long day too but cherish every second I do have with DS.

I have a 17-month old and another due in early November.

I commute to the city. Ideally, I would work PT (3-days),

Right now, I rarely take DS on errands - so that means I attempt the supermarket and Target after I put him to bed - it used to be fine, but at this stage in my pregnancy, it's a lot.

I am lucky that I have an amazing DH who is an awesome husband and father. He undoubtly does his part to make our system work.

DS does a lot to maintain our household and makes dinner every night when I get home and want my one-on-one time with Ryan.

It's a lot of work - but we all do what we have to do and make it work!

ETS: Megamilions ticket bought too - perhaps if I stopped playing so often I actually could afford to stay home more

Message edited 11/24/2010 11:09:46 AM.

Re: Working moms support thread

i am a working mom not by choice! the only thing that gets me though the day is knowing that i am providing great health benefits for my family! and of course a paycheck...

I will eventually be a SAHM. although i think i would like to work like 2- 3 days a week. being at work is the only time i can get my eyebrows done, get waxed, manis/pedis and fart around online

Re: Working moms support thread

i'm Kristi... full time working mom and mother of 4 boys. I work by choice but i would rather work part time. OUr lives don't really allow for that right now. I love what i do and sometimes look forward to getting out of the house. I am lucky because my mother takes care of my kids in my absence and i never worry about them.. I do work 12 hour days.. 3 days a week only so it's tough missing 2 or 3 full days in a row.. but then i know i have off for a few.

Re: Working moms support thread

I'm a FT working mom. I enjoy my job, but I'd also love to spend more time with DS. In an ideal world, I'd work PT.

It has been a real struggle balancing work and family. We don't have any family nearby, which is really tough when DS is sick (like today). DH and I have had to juggle pediatrician appointments and taking off to stay home with DS. I've been using up a lot of sick days recently b/c DS has come down with a few viruses and can't be at daycare.

I also have a lot of late night meetings all over the state and need to rely on DH to be available to pick DS up from daycare. It's so hard to come home after DS is already asleep. There have been other times when DH and I both had work obligations and DH dropped DS off at my office at night for a few hours. It's not easy trying to entertain DS and finish up a few things. My job has been pretty understanding, but it has definitely been hard to balance everything.

Re: Working moms support thread

Posted by CkGm

Posted by twinkletoes807

Hi all! My name is Gabi and I am a F/T working mom. I would leave work in second if I had the choice but I don't. On the bright side- I can retire in 8 years!! Sooooo looking forward to that!! I have a DD- Reilly who is 10 months old and the light of my life. DD#2 is on the way and is due on Christmas. DH has 3 kids from his prior marriage so our house is very full every other weekend. We do not use daycare; we couldn't afford it anyway... I am up with Reilly at 7am until 2pm and then I meet DH off the Northern State Pkwy and swap her on my way to work and DH is on the way home. I work until 12am and get home by 1am. 6 hours of sleep for me then I do it all over again at 7am the next day. Needless to say, I am always tired- preggo or not. But Reilly is worth it and so is keeping our house!

WOW! Ok, I will NOT ever complain again! You are my hero!