Short maternity leave

[endlesslydoingdishes]

AIBU in thinking that a 6 week maternity leave is do-able?
I WFH full time, manage my own work load and have minimal interaction/zoom calls with colleagues. My partner will be on leave for a further 2 weeks so two weeks back at work with him around to ease the initial load.

Financially, I would prefer to be back once the 90% ends. My thinking is that I'm going to be exhausted anyway. May aswell be exhausted with money coming in. One less thing to worry about. Also in a good place with my career and don't want to lose too much momentum.

Childcare not a concern initially. Alot of family help available. Also pushing partner to consider shared maternity so he can take longer off but currently he's not keen, again due to finances.

This will be 3rd child but its been a while! Unexpected but welcome. Worried I'm kidding myself about leave though.

I'd like to hear from others who took shorter leaves, if possible.

I went back after 8 weeks with my second, it was fine. I had my partner here to help though and work from home. I did end up helping him a lot of the time too but luckily my work is flexible. It's definitely doable as long as you have help close by.

Other thing that made it possible was being lucky enough for a natural birth. I had the entire works thrown at me with first born, I was barely out of hospital after 2 weeks then, let alone working!

@Mmmmmmbop90

I couldn’t have - you have years to work but only a short time your baby will be a baby. It would be my absolute last resort

This is not what the OP is asking. She’s asking whether it’s manageable, not a judgement on whether it’s desirable.

I think a lot depends on how many night feeds baby needs. Do you think you can do your job with interrupted sleep?

You can do it op! Just because it's unthinkable for others doesn't mean it's unthinkable for you too.
I did it with two dc (8 wks) and was best decision I ever made.
Didn't do full time.
Dh stayed home while I worked.
Kept work and family life separate through strict routine and boundaries.
Loads of people said i couldn't but I said I could and I did.

Jeeez, I would not of been able to do that. I had a vaginal birth, let’s just say it didn’t quite go to plan and at 6 weeks I was only just able to move about again!

I think it doable, particularly as it’s your third baby. Another option is to go back in the new year.

In the 90s, maternity leave and maternity pay was very different than it is today. I was on leave for 8 weeks. Only 6 weeks was paid by my company, 2 statutory maternity pay of £57 a week, so had to go back to work. I knew this was the case so as soon as I’d gone by the 12 week mark and had my first scan, I started looking at child care options as o had to go back to work for financial reasons. It is doable.

I’d hate that and I am not maternal…but we’re all different.

I was back working within 2 weeks, 2 kids no childcare. I was pt and it was managing buildings for a landlord so they were with me, you do what you have to to eat.

@Tobchette "Dh stayed home while I worked"

That's the crucial point that makes it doable. I'm not sure that the OP had said that anyone else will be in charge of child while she's working.

I went back at at 2 weeks with one dc but put my foot down and said I needed longer the next time so stretched it to 5 weeks with my last dc.

It was necessary, self employed, baby came to work with me. I don’t really know any other way to do it, to be honest, money has always been tight and taking a break has never really been an option. I think I’d get bored with just a dc to care for perhaps, I’ve always done something else too (had my first dc in my last year of university so new baby plus dissertation was the order of the day)

I’d say it was doable with lots of back up plans yes. I hope you find a way to make it work for you.