To ask if you changed job as a direct result of having kids?

[u32ng]

What job did you do pre-kid(s) and then what did you do post-kid(s). Any regrets?

I'm on maternity leave (again) but am at the stage of planning my return to work. Initially it should be straightforward but then I will have to return to my 2.5hr each way commute. Crap with 1 kid but near impossible with 2 (DH has to pick up all the slack - very unfair). Moving is a very unlikely option for various reasons and job is specialised so would have to switch entirely. So I am just nosey interested to see what people changed to I suppose for inspiration...and what mistakes to avoid!

Yeah I suppose it is making for depressing reading! Sorry not my intention when I started it.

To answer an earlier question, moving doesn't seem viable really:
DH would be out of a job and basically be in the same position of complete career change (also has specialised job);
We'd have to put both DS into full time nursery care (we get help from my mum) and I am loathe to switch DS1 to a new nursery when he is due to start school next year (He took a while to settle and cried at every drop off for a month when he first started nursery at 12m!).

So financially and family-wise I'm not in favour of moving house. As much as I don't want to admit it, it seems I will have to 'take one for the team'. When I really think about it my family life is more important to me than my job. I just also do like my job and am scared I'll end up just drifting from crappy job to crappy job and never get back to earning what I earn now or have any job satisfaction (Home working is NOT an option in my job)

God it's all a bit dreary really!

I worked in retail management before DS and still there (albeit a different company) 6 years later but definitely looking for something outside retail. DH does shifts which means he is off 1 weekend in 3, day shift one weekend and back shift the other. We don't have weekends off as I only get 1 in 6 off (which is probably OK for some retail jobs) so I work when he's off and we get DM to look after DS on one of the day shift weekends.

It's no way to have family life and I'm now beginning to hate it. Struggling to find something outside retail tho, I'm presuming people look at my wage and can't believe I'm serious about dropping my wage so much. We would rather live in less to have a better work life balance.
I don't feel that having DS has forced me into a change but I feel that my priorities have changed, pre DS, I arranged my days off to have a day off with DH every week and it worked for us, DS is at school and I now arrange my days off around after school activities so that he has out of school things to do which means I don't get a day off with DH at all.