When I did it, paid mat leave was 14 weeks and I added another 4 unpaid, so was back in FT work when DD was 5 months old.
I agree with others - nursery years were easiest in ways. She did the commute with DH or I (or both). Over the years, she learned about cycle signals (as she started going on the back of DH's bike from about 15 months - we just got really good winter outer wear, and he would bring her for a hot scone to the coffee shop near nursery to "thaw out", which is really not as bad as that sounds 
). Many many verses of "Old McDonald" (he used to have lots of zoo animals too in our version!) if the car commute hit gridlock (the city had major issues back then). How to use the bus and train when I moved office so public transport worked best.
And we were ruthlessly organised - bags packed at night before bed and breakfast laid out, rather than rushing that in the mornings. Have the beginnings of dinners done the day before (thaw meat or sauces from freezer, peel and chop potatoes/veg into pots, etc) so I could just turn things on when I got in at the end of the day.
DH and I juggled when she got sick - we had understanding bosses, (DH more than mine ironically) and were able to do a certain amount from home long before the pandemic normalised that, we'd check diaries on who had the more important things that couldn't be moved, one would go in for a very early start and come home at lunch, the other would start at lunch and work late into the evening, and we might also do a bit at home while minding her if possible and at night. And we could often give her some excitement and reduce pressure on ourselves by bringing her in to the city in the car to do the swop rather than morning person coming home and then afternoon person going in - saved each of us an hour.
School years were more difficult, as others have mentioned - school was close to home so it meant getting her to school (or later having a lady come for an hour in the mornings to get her to school) before 1 person doing the commute (the other would go earlier). She went to an afterschool club - initially offsite collected from school, then later the school one extended its hours so she could stay there and also do extracurriculars after school on site too. But there was more pressure to get there at the end of the day than the nursery in town. Or to get to school if she was sick during the day (not frequent, but it happened a few times over the years).
But again, we had already got the ruthless organisation in place, and that continued just adapted a little. Afterschool club fed them (dinner in 1st, only snack but enough in 2nd) and also did homework. So quick dinners or snacks while it cooked when we got in were important. Preferably ones that you turned on pots and could ignore for 15-20 minutes while checking bags, listening to the day's news, doing the day's reading homework, getting changed etc.
And if it's only term times, that is such a bonus!! Nursery years were fine, but once school age happened, holidays were very difficult to manage as most summer camps were either only until lunchtime or the end of the school day, especially for younger DCs. Although there were a few we found over the years. And we also built a circle of support - neighbours or other parents locally who could do an emergency collection if traffic was bad, or that we could arrange a 1-in-3 week collection duty from an activity finishing at 4 to mind 2 others until 6ish in term time, or 1 could drop/collect DCs from a summer camp in town while another collected DCs from a summer camp near home in return a different week....
In our case, DD got quite independent over the years - we built up in steps, (which meant when we needed to change things in a hurry, she was ready). So what started as DD leaving on foot as I collected from afterschool in 5th class (and me following by car after I'd finished the chat with minders), to her having a key and meeting me at the door of the house, to her going home and getting there 15 minutes before me on normal commuting patterns - meant that when there was a bullying problem, she was used to the walking home and being home alone parts, so could go home straight after the activities finished at 4 and make herself a snack (cold or microwave) and do her homework. She has the equivalent of an Oyster card for public transport and, having learned to use that while commuting with us and over the years on other outings, she used it going to local summer camps when in 6th class and was very confident on public transport locally going into secondary (when many others in her school were still driven everywhere by parents) - and was able to come and meet me in town one evening when everything at work fell apart on me and I couldn't go for her.
OK, I'm now going way way beyond your initial query.
I still had the financial freedom of a paycheque. I had adult human company to interact with, as a person not just a "mammy". I felt useful in myself as well (I love DD dearly, but I also love my work). I had got a promotion a couple of years before so we went from beans on toast budget to more reasonable levels, and I got another promotion when DD was 9 months old, so while nursery was eye wateringly expensive, we were not so long out of the beans on toast phase that we couldn't do it again and managed. But I kept paying into pension in the meantime, and my wages did improve and nursery costs did reduce. And we still had plenty of quality time with DD in the mornings, on the commute, in the evenings and all weekend long.
TL:DR Yes