To realise that me working isn't working!

[Flowerpot26]

Please advice wise ladies in my phone,
Returned to work a few months ago, after a year off after first first child, I wanted to return as wanted the money and to still have my job, it's quite well payed for what it is, it's a professional job, but not one that I had to study at uni for or anything I do either 2/3 shifts a week . Husband has own business with operates where we live and I do help out when I can and baby allows,
But it's not working!! I'm so tired with it all, husband is losing money (more than i earn) with having our baby and not being able to work, baby does go to a cm for one day a week but as it's shifts doesn't always fall on the day I'm in work, he's the main earner and it's his business , we have no family that are able to help with baby, we would also like to have another in the future!
But if I give up, I give up my own money, my chance of other work opportunities, and if I took the next few years out to concentrate on family life etc, I would be late 30s and trying to return into somtype of work, not able to drop current hours anymore. I'm fed up of stressing about it, and it's effecting out home life, could manage without my pay as I could drop the cm, wouldn't be complety broke would just have to cut back.

2/3 shifts a week does sound worth trying to find an au pair to help with. Alternatively (or as well) you need to negotiate that your work shifts, while flexible, only occur on certain days, so that you can book childcare to cover those days only. You might be better off doing 4 shifts a week if it meant your child having 3 fixed days with the childminder and never working 2 weekdays - though I imagine weekend shifts are still the problem. Hope you can sort something.

IME reputable agencies would not supply an au pair to do 8+ hours at a time of sole care for a baby or toddler.

I don't know many au-pairs who would refuse to work 16 hours paid more! As long as they don't work more than 30 hours a week, and are paid fairly, AND know before going what is expected of them, I can't see the issue.

If its nursing, would bank work not be easier in terms of organising regular childcare? Live in Au Pair sounds like your best bet though.

I'd be cautious about leaving the workforce entirely given your husband's occupation.

If he gets ill or injured, there's no sick pay unless he has decent insurance cover. If your relationship breaks down, working farms can be difficult to split in a divorce and you may be more vulnerable than you realise.

Instead of hiring childcare, can he hire labour to help with the farm and that way he can, when needed, cover the child care while the labourer covers him ?