Am I making a mistake?

[360mum]

Ok...long story short I was really focused on my career. Got a really good job. And lost it due to redundancies. Ended up in a low paid job because I'd lost all my confidence and was bitter and angry. Became pregnant...with twins. Realised that I needed to stop being bitter and angry because my babies depended on me. I quit my low paid job and now I'm a stay at home mum. I've loved every minute of it but today I realised I wanted to return to work and I wasn't expecting too. I feel guilty that I want to return to work. I'm bored at home and want to feel like I'm moving forward. Any words of advice or encouragement welcome.

Don't feel guilty at all. By the end of my second maternity leave I was so ready to get back into work, use my brain, have some adult conversation, and not have to entertain 2 toddlers all day every day while factoring in naptimes and feeding times too. I'd been made redundant too, but luckily found a great part time job which I'm really enjoying now. And I feel like I enjoy the days I'm off with the kids now so much more and in general my mood has been lifted.

Writing that down does make me feel a bit guilty, but I completely understand how you feel!

I went back to university and retrained in a new career when mine were very small. I felt like I wanted their mum to be something more than I was. My eldest remembers mummy studying and can see the benefits since I've qualified, we now own our own house, we have nice holidays.
I'm not just mummy, I'm not just my job, it's possible to be your own person too. Bloody exhausting, but possible

Go for it, you will be setting a great example for your kids 😀

I think if you want to and afford to with twins absolutely do it. I went back to work when both of mine were 12 months. In both cases, my work involved a long commute and some travel.

Both my children have really flourished at nursery. We had the disposable income to enjoy the ample time off we can have with them. I enjoy my career and feel very happy with the work life balance I have. On the days I work long hours or when I need to work away, dc get lots of quality time with my dh. I’m rarely bored now and quite happy with my choice. I’m lucky that I came back from my last mat leave to a very good job offer. If I had taken years off though, I would have struggled to get back into my (admittedly quite niche and highly skilled) field.