Why is it so difficult? What would you do with these 2 choices?

[Guacamole]

I need advice... I have to return to work, I?m dreading it... I?m dreading the thought of being away from my DS, but I have to return, we can?t afford for me not too... and in the long term he will benefit financially from me returning.
If I return to my current employers following my maternity leave I am able to return part time (3 days per week). This would mean my DS (who will be 11 months old at the time) will be in nursery 3 days a week. However my DH and I both commute into London by train (and a very busy train to boot). This would mean my DS commutes too... so on those 3 days a week we will leave our house at 7am and return at 7pm (not sure where we are going to fit in breakfast and dinner). He will literally get home and go straight to bed, meaning my DH (he will be at DH?s work nursery) will barely see him at all on those 3 days and I won?t see him at all as I would get home later.
However I have found a job I can apply for much closer to home (only 12 miles). I could drive my DS to nursery; we could leave our house at 8am and return by 6pm. However it would be full time! Help... what do I do? He will see me every day and we?ll travel in together in the car, he will be able to have breakfast and dinner at home. I might even be able to see him the odd lunch time.
I?m going to apply for the job, I have nothing to lose. It?s NHS so I can transfer my service straight onto another hospital without incurring any financial loss, or continued service loss.
But if I get offered the job? What do I do?

Childcare (as in nursery) at home is not an option, if we needed to get back to him it would take at least 1 hour... I have to say I hadn't considered a nanny or even nanny share... Can you get a 3 day a week nanny? How would you go about finding one, just google?

yes - you can get a 3 day a week nanny - absolutely. especially if you are offering longer days. our nanny works 7.30am to 6.45pm for us over 4 days but she has nanny friends who work 8am to 6.30pm 3 days a week.

try a nanny agency - tinies, for instance. they pre-screen their nannies and suggest nannies that they know may be happy to work your kind of hours etc. there may be other nanny agencies in your area, particularly if you are SE england...

good luck! getting a nanny is the best thing we ever did child-care wise. should DEFINITELY have done it from the outset.

Try gumtree/local, or start asking around. You might find someone who is looking for 2 days at the same time, or someone whose childcare needs are just ending.

Apply for the full time job and then negotiate to do it part time. NHS ought to be good at considering flexible working.

The commuting with your DS could be tough - I've been on commuter hour trains with my DCs for hospital visits and it is hard work (trains sometimes don't have a single working toilet, nevermind changing facilities)

part time role, but as has already been said get a local nursery, along with emergency contacts who are either at home during the day or at least working more locally.

this is what worked for me and both of us has a 1.5 hour commute each way.

hubpages.com/hub/Earn-At-Home-Mothers-and-Fathers is an amazing post on the subject.

hubpages.com/hub/Earn-At-Home-Mothers-and-Fathers is the corrected URL. I hit the space bar without meaning to.

or I didn't! There should be no space after the F in Fathers!

Thank you for the advice. I applied for the full time job, but am unlikely to accept it if offered. The swaying point for me is not only your comments, but also comments I've read in 'Raising Boys'. I think part time will be the best option and as other posters have said, I should seize the opportunity of part time work while it is available to me.
Now comes the childcare. We're on a waiting list at DHs nursery (mine is a further 1 hours commute in London by tube so that's a define no no), another nursery quite close to DHs work and also we are investigating nannies.
Maybe this is for another topic, but my only worry with a nanny is that it's one person, whereas a nursery the staff are watched/supervised/work with other staff and therefore would appear to be more regulated?

Just to keep anyone who is interested updated.

The full time position requested me to attend for interview but I have decided to pull out. Instead I will be returning to my current employers 3 days per week... Eventually building up to 5 days a week but finishing every day at 3:30pm... Meaning I will get to spend more quality time with my DS! Now we just have to deal with the commute!