DH and I decided to TTC and then I got pregnant quicker than expected. Am now 7 weeks. I’m now increasingly filled with this dread that I will not be able to cope with either being a Mum, being on maternity leave, and eventually returning to work. Currently DH and I both work 6 days a week, DH can also work away occasionally to up to a week at a time. Both work long hours which is unavoidable due to jobs. WFH not an option. I would take a full year of maternity and then return to work full-time. Highly unlikely to be able to return part-time as two colleagues have just had that same request rejected; one of them has left and the other is struggling to cope. No possibility of DH reducing hours due to nature of job. Limited support available from future grandparents as some still work and some always busy with retired life (holidays, classes etc). I am now having visions of being left in the house during mat leave all day with a baby and all of the housework/shopping/life admin to do, as realistically not going to leave it until DH’s one day off. Utterly no clue how we would manage when I would eventually go back to work apart from paying for round the clock childcare. No option of being SAHM due to finances. Is this just the reality of being a working Mum? I assume women manage to juggle all of it all the time, I just haven’t met anyone who does! Most women I know who have had children either go part-time, WFH, or are SAHMs. Any advice welcome.