to wish I could have my maternity leave all over again but without the baby this time?

[Peacocky]

I mean I love her infinitely, of course, but it's just so hard, and people who make comments like "Back to work soon eh? Back to the real world?" - as though looking after a baby is a six-month holiday instead of the nipple-chewed, sleep-deprived, not-a-moment-to-yourself mission that it is - deserve a punch in the unmentionables.

Or am I just not cut out for motherhood?!

I had 6 months off when DS was 4 (redundancy) which I called my second maternity leave. Twas fab. A new born is a different kettle of fish.

I don't think people say 'back to the real world' because they think you've been lounging around, but because you're going back to what you did before the baby.

The first six months was definitely the hardest for me. It is much less intense when your child can eat, sit up, sleep for a few hours at a time. And yes, going back to work was easier than being at home with the baby!

Going back to work means you can drink an entire cup of tea before it goes cold, and go to the loo whenever you wish and without a sidekick! The tiny baby stage is hard OP, doesn't mean you're not a good mum and I promise it does get easier

I always said I would have preferred a shared parental leave model where DH would have been home with the tiny baby and I'd do the second 6 months with a LO who actually responded and was more of a person (DS was prem so a "newborn" for weeks more than usual).

Then I took adoption leave with DD who was 15 months at the time and found that although it was hard for all sorts of reasons it was indeed definitely more fun than maternity leave had been. So YANBU!!