To change jobs at the detriment of my son?

[Writerwannabe83]

I'm posting here because I feel torn and would love some advice.

I applied for a job last week and it all happened really quickly. I got caught up in the excitement, filled out the application without really thinking it through properly and now I have an interview next week. Due to the nature of the job and the circumstances the likelihood of me getting the job is relatively high.

There are pros and cons to changing jobs - the most attractive pro being I will earn more. Not a huge amount but maybe £300 a month extra after tax. The work is far more interesting than my current job too.

The downside is that the new job will involve shift work whereas my current job is 9-5.

I'm currently on maternity leave (DS is 5.5 months) and I planned to return to work at the start of February and I have a wonderful childminder lined up.

The new job will mean I have to return to work earlier, find another childminder and the hours would mean that for 3 days a week I wouldn't see DS at all I'm really, really struggling with that. I would miss him so much and I would worry that at 9 months of age he's going to wonder why 'mommy has disappeared' when he has days of not seeing me at all. It sound stupid but it's how I feel.

My DH is telling me not to worry so much and go for it but I just feel uneasy about it all.

Part of me wants to stay in my current job, send DD to the lovely childminder and get to see him every day, but the other part of me feels excited at the prospect of this new job.

Maybe I should just stay in my current job until DS is older so I can be a more constant figure in his life. I don't know. He just seems too young for me to be acting like this when really, his needs should come before my own wants.

Had anyone else had to make choices like this??

All I've got to do is get it now

On paper I'm not a very attractive option due to requests I will need to make during my first two months there but I just hope they can see past that.

I'm going to spend the next week preparing as much as I can for it and then pray that the night before the interview DS has a good nights sleep so I don't turn up shattered and zombie-fied and have to sit the maths exam with a brain that isn't functioning

When DS was little DH worked a job that meant he often came home after 10pm. We decided to cut out DS' afternoon nap and put him to bed very early and then get him up for an hour to play with DH. My mother thought we were insane waking a baby at night but it worked very well for us.

At 5.5 months my kids were still having a late night feed around midnight. They were sleepy but aware of what was going on around them. Could you do that so you get a cuddle?

Also on weekends could DH bring him up to you during your lunch break if it was at a reasonable time?

Nurses don't get lunch breaks

Actually, tell a lie, I once got my lunch break at 4pm....only 9 hours after starting my shift

I'm clearly bad to be considering going back to the madness