Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

How many people went back to work FT after maternity leave?

44 replies

KizboBaggins · 03/02/2022 08:20

I'm due in July (first baby!), I plan on taking 9/10 months mat leave then back to FT work after that.

I'm curious to hear stories about people going back to work after maternity leave. Did you do what you'd intended to do, or did it change once your baby was born? Anyone plan on going back FT but went back PT? Anyone not go back at all?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

DSGR · 03/02/2022 08:23

I went pt after first child but ft after the second. Very happy with my choice. Enjoy my job, enjoy the money, the kids are now in school so childcare bill is tiny. You have to think long-term.. for me, keeping my job and working has been the best decision. We now have enough money for all the kids’ activities plus holidays and no worries about food bills etc. Kids are well-adjusted, brilliant little individuals!

DSGR · 03/02/2022 08:24

Ps we do have a cleaner, this helps hugely

Lazypuppy · 03/02/2022 08:24

I always plqnned to go back FT at 10 months, which i did, and i have now compressed my hours into 4 days a week as DD is 4, so her last year before she goes to school we can do some day trips.

I figured at 9/10 months old there was no point going part time as DD wouldn't remember it and i would massively miss my salary. Also by the end of mat leave i was pretty bored at home and couldn't wait to go back to work

Sleepy86 · 03/02/2022 08:28

I went back 4 days a week after DD was born and hated every second! I've since found work at a new company that's only 2 days a week and I feel much happier with the balance. My DD does 3 days in nursery, I work 2 of those then have 1 to run errands etc.

I know I'm in a fortunate position to be able to do this though and I still earn a very good income for the work that I do.

Kopenbergglass · 03/02/2022 08:30

I did.

I agree with others, you need to think of the long term plan when deciding this. First off, you need to look at childcare costs. And how much it will cost you to work full time. Then you need to factor in if you're planning and further children and if you can afford maternity pay based on a part term salary.

I went back full time after DS1. I enjoyed it but it was really hard as well. I worked shifts which didn't help TBH. I always knew I would have two close together and I was pregnant again within a year of returning to work. I was part time after DS2, although that wasn't all through choice (but that's a whole other thread entirely). It worked out perfectly for us because I worked evenings around DH hours and we didn't need childcare. So we were actually financially better off with me being part time.

I went full time again when DS2 turned 3 and got funded hours.

TwinkleToesStrikesAgain · 03/02/2022 08:30

Went back FT after 3 months. Twice. No regrets

JustWonderingIfYou · 03/02/2022 08:31

Didn't go back. Didn't think it was worth it, and wanted to spend the time with DS whilst he was small rather than see him only 2 days a week.

Obviously huge financial change but totally worth it for us.

I'll go back when the youngest is at school I think.

BuffaloHigh · 03/02/2022 08:32

I went back FT and hated it. I pretty much only saw my baby at weekends. I didn’t get home until he was asleep most days. My DH had to do all nursery runs etc. I changed to 3 days a week after 2 months of it. But it’ll depend on your working hours and commute.

SmellyWellyWoo · 03/02/2022 08:33

I went back almost full time- 34 hours over 4 days but with an hour's commute each way. Work was fine but I was so tired all the time. Day off at home with the baby was nice and saved money.

Motherofcats007 · 03/02/2022 08:35

I had originally wanted to do 4 days PT but because my husband can’t do drop off or pick up, I can only work 6.5 hours a day. So I ended up doing that over 5 days because nursery has a 5 day discount rather than do even less hours.

babyboybluewithnumbertwox · 03/02/2022 08:35

Yep back full time after 9 months off. Currently expecting baby number two after 8 months working 😊

Anniegetyourgun76 · 03/02/2022 08:35

You can make all the plans you want but baby will decide what you do 🤣🤣🤣 I planned on having one baby and going back to work FT after 12 months. I ended up with twins, at 14 months went back to work for 2 months then quit and stayed at home till kids were 2.5 then started working PT, 3 days then 4 days a week. That was not the plan but it has all worked out, good luck xx

Roomba · 03/02/2022 08:35

I went back FT after six months. It was hard at first, but at that time I worked 08:00 - 16:30 Mon - Fri and DS1 had a place in a brilliant nursery.

Had to go back PT after DS2 though, mostly because my working hours/days had changed by then and my company was not as "flexible" as they claimed.

FingersXssd83 · 03/02/2022 08:36

Went back 3 days PT when baby was 14 months. Husband looks after baby one day and he goes to nursery for two days. It's been working well and I like the balance. Made easier as I am now working remotely.

Have another baby on the way and intend on doing the same as I like my job and company, worked hard for my career and don't want to struggle getting to the next level which I would if I came out of employment.

SickAndTiredAgain · 03/02/2022 08:37

Planned to go back full time and did. I’m now pregnant with DD2 and planning to go back full time again.
Financially we’d lose out if I worked less as I earn more than the childcare bill, plus I want to do FT.

Talipesmum · 03/02/2022 08:37

I went back full time and it was fine. Mad busy but fine. Same after baby number 2. A year or so after that my DH went part time (3 days) and about 4 years after that I went to 4 days/week. He went first cos I am the higher earner. He wouldn’t have considered doing it before kids but after, it just made practical sense and he loved it.
It actually felt easier to manage with full time childcare when they were younger. As they get older they want to do swimming lessons, beavers, after school clubs, play dates etc.
They were both at the same childminder all the time when they weren’t with us.

Taswama · 03/02/2022 08:38

I went back full time after 6 months maternity leave with my first.
I used annual leave to do 3 then 4 days a week for the first few months but was back full time by 10 months. In hindsight I could have used KIT days for the same effect.
I had verbally agreed with my manager that I would do one day wfh but I got a new manager soon after returning and she disagreed so I ended up in the office full time.
It was hard going as I had an hour's commute each way. A year after returning, I left and got a more local job. My boss there was much more flexible about occasional wfh. I stayed full time until I went on mat leave for dc2 when dc1 was nearly 3.
I did all drop offs and pick ups as default until dc2 was in nursery and dc1 at school, when DP started wfh regularly on a Friday. His commute was even longer than mine and was until covid hit.

Danikm151 · 03/02/2022 08:39

I planned to go back part time after 9
months.
Flexible working got rejected so went back full time after 12 months.
Financially better off and my son loves nursery. It’s hectic at times but nursery is across the road from work so that makes it easier.
Weekends are time for fun

KohlaParasaurus · 03/02/2022 08:39

I went back FT around 4 months after having all of mine apart from the first. With that one (1990) I had a jobshare position and had alternate weeks off work, though within a few weeks I was picking up freelance work on evenings and nights on my weeks off because I found it difficult to turn down paid work. Not sure I'd encourage any other woman to be in such a rush to get back to work. I missed so much of my children's early years and in the end it didn't result in better career progression.

Snowywintersundays123 · 03/02/2022 08:43

With my first i went back PT and increased to FT when he was 2. With my 2nd I went back to work FT when she was six months, she was in nursery full time, 7.30-5 , five days a week. She is 2.5 now. My husband has since compressed his fours to 40 over 4 days so has her at home one day a week.
Life is hectic and nothing gets done in the house but it isn’t forever.

pitterpatterrain · 03/02/2022 08:45

Went back PT after DD1 and FT after DD2
Works well, no regrets, enjoy my job etc

DC have been with the same childminder for 4+ years now so that stability also helps

icelollycraving · 03/02/2022 08:47

I went back ft after 13 months as I tagged on holiday. The hardest thing was juggling the calls for Ds to be collected. He caught EVERYTHING. My first day back at work they called as he’d got chicken pox. Fine at drop off, spotty by the early afternoon. I’d recommend if you can having a plan for that. We had no help locally so that was v challenging.
I used nursery and I’ve always preferred to pay for childcare. As we have always paid, I’ve never used favours which then get called in.
Hope that makes sense. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

SleepyRoo · 03/02/2022 08:49

I'm still 3 days a week five years after my youngest was born. I'd quite like to go 4-5 days now, since I do actually like my job, but... I've got used to having extra time during the week.

Jxtina86 · 03/02/2022 08:50

I went back 4 days a week but we could afford the drop in salary. We only have DD and no plans for another for a while which certainly would have factored into our plans if we wanted to try sooner. I'm not sure if I will go back FT even when she reaches school age - my mum did 4 days after I was born until she retired (so 30+ years!) and I'd like to do the same if possible. I was lucky that my employer is flexible and that there had been a change in my role that meant I could fit everything into 4 days - that said it does feel like I sometimes squeeze 5 days work into 4 for less money.

MrHavelIsHot · 03/02/2022 08:51

I thought I’d go back full time but went back part time instead after having our first child. After a year or so we made the decision for me to not work so I could be with our child. I loved it and it made both our lives so much easier. We had our second a few years later and I really liked not having to think about going back to work. Both kids are teens now and I still don’t work. It’s not for everyone but works for us.

Flip

1 2