How soon after returning to work did you have next baby?

[Alicia870]

Just returned to work and first baby is 9 months old. I really want to have another one again soon and want them close together but the only thing holding me back is what others will think.
Work are being great in allowing me to spread my accrued holiday leave across the year so I only have short weeks year and allowing me back part time. It's not the kind of company where I'd be massively missed or need to be replaced if I'm gone and others have definitely had babies and mat leaves close together. My thinking is if it's not now it will be some other time in the next couple of years and then I'll be back and can focus more on career. But I'm in early - approaching mid thirties and I want to focus on my family. I had a very difficult delivery and recovery with my daughter and really don't want to prolong pregnancy and birth too much especially getting older. I feel like it'll be easier on me doing it sooner rather than later.
What have others done and do you think it's fair enough to crack on and have babies while I'm young and strong enough to do so?

I only got 3 months maternity leave (did not live in UK at the time), I got pregnant again 5 months after going back. I really wanted my 2 to be close in age.

I got pregnant 3 months after going back. It was fine, I think most people expect it if they know you've had one baby.

There’s 5 years between mine, so 4 years after returning to work, which was perfect for me. I was 37 when I had my 2nd.

One thing I would caution you to think about with a small age gap is how you would afford 2 in childcare if you opt to go back to work after the 2nd. Even if you think you want to stay at home, with two young dc, you may feel differently! It’s draining and hard.

I went back after a full 12 months maternity leave and will be going off again basically a year later. It would have been sooner but took us longer to conceive the second time.

I was back from maternity leave for 9 months before my second maternity leave. Because I am a teacher and went back just before the summer holiday, it felt like only 7 months!!!

Thanks for your replies.

This is one of those situations where I create worries that don't necessarily need to be there! I'm going back on a part time basis to work and using annual leave I've accrued so I will have an extra day off each week til the end of the year.
I'm just imagining in a couple of months time having to say to work that I'm pregnant again and have them think; she's already trying to sail by easily (though it's definitely not easy with the commute I have and having a baby), and here she goes swanning off again!
It's the fear of judgement and people thinking I'm unprofessional or trying to skim by. Though I know now that mat leave is the time I've actually worked the hardest and having an extra one will certainly be no walk in the park.

I don't know though, is it just me who has these kind of worries or should I not think twice about it, life's too short, you're only fertile for a short time etc?

I could have written this post OP! I'm 34 and my wee one is 10 weeks old. I'm taking a year off with her and don't want to look like I'm taking the piss but feel like if I want to have another we'll have to start trying sooner rather than later. It took 2.5 years and 2 miscarriages to get her, so don't want to risk leaving it a couple of years before trying again but then again it could happen first time next time! I also feel that I've already effectively had to stall my career so it might make more sense to just have another quickly then be able to focus once I'm back, rather than trying to work my way back up only having to stall again shortly after. So much to weigh up!!

Depending on your age your manager may well be making soft contingent plans for you to take another mat leave soon, as most women tend to get pregnant again within a year of returning from mat leave. Suggest reviewing your finances before you do though as childcare can be ridiculous for 2 pre-school kids

I went back in the March and was 12 weeks pregnant in the July! I had a 19mo gap which was lovely. Theres nothing they can say and actually everyone was really pleased for us 😀 Do what you want to do x

I will have worked nearly two years between maternity leaves. Someone I know got pregnancy again during their first maternity leave and came back for like three months then went off again...

It all seems a bit unfair the pressures we have with work and fertility/family life when it takes 2 people to make a baby!
I'm thinking if we are lucky enough to have another (I hope) then we'll see what happens and if I get pregnant then so be it. Career spans decades whereas time out with babies is short in the grand scheme of it. Just really would upset me to think others in work would think I'm just being selfish and trying to get out of work

I went back already pregnant.

I work in a large company, probably 90% women and no one would bat an eyelid how soon you had a second baby or even if you went back pregnant. The only person who was the subject of any gossip was a woman who had 4 maternity leaves in 5 years, did hardly any work in between them and then came back after the last one in a permanent mood and constantly moaning that her DH had said no to a fifth and that she hated being in work and wanted to be off again. So yeah, unless you have an attitude to work like hers, I doubt anyone will care one bit OP

Went back Aug ‘16. Started trying for #2 Aug ‘17. Baby born (prematurely) in April ‘18.

Depending on your age your manager may well be making soft contingent plans for you to take another mat leave soon, as most women tend to get pregnant again within a year of returning from mat leave.

This! My maternity cover stayed on after I was back and only finished when my boss found out my husband had had the snip (also coincided with the end of a massive project, but that doesn’t make as good an anecdote ).

Your manager might have a grumble in private but they can't say anything to you. It is annoying if you've managed to recruit someone as good as or better for maternity cover and then have to let them go before you find out the post holder is pregnant again!

I went back in April and was pregnant by the October, when DS was 18 months. I've just started mat leave with DC2 who is due very shortly. DS will be 2.3 when they arrive. One issue I had to consider was that I needed to be at work for a year before qualifying for mat leave.