How and when did you decide to 'get serious' about your career again after having babies?

[Helzapoppin]

Hi

If you are a three toddler, fifty hour a week, high flying, investment banker supermum, please do not answer...you'll only depress me!

I trained for a long time to do the job I do and love it. I qualified quite young and worked really hard for the first five years, doing exceptionally well, before having my first daughter two years ago, taking a year of maternity leave and now working 2.5 days per week. I'm having another in August and plan to take another year off.

I still enjoy my work but feel that I am 'cruising' a little, due to choice and convenience (DH is a city lawyer working for partnership, thus arranging childcare and day to day living therefore have to be my responsibility at the moment). If I want to move on in may career, my next post would be quite senior and would be (more than?) full time and after that it would be very senior local authority, central government or university roles, depending which route I choose to go down.

I suppose my question to those of you who have been in a similar situation is how and when did you know that you it was time to move up a gear in your career, what you did about it, and how you helped yourself to get there during your 'cruising', muffin baking years?

I love being at home with my daughter, but I know that it's time out, not forever, and it would be good to know that there are others out there who have come out the other side, put on a suit and looked convincing (to themselves and others)!

I had a really good job prior to DC1 but decided to give it up as I couldn't bear the thought of leaving him and decided to be a SAHM. A few months later finances meant that I had to find something and I took a local part time job which worked around my DC. I was made redundant after DC2 and because we were in a better financial position decided to be a SAHM but once DC2 reached about 20 months I hit a real emotional low and knew that come what may I had to get back to work to preserve my sanity and I was lucky enough to quickly find a part time job. Within 3 months of taking that job I knew that I was back in the workplace with a serious career strategy.

DC3 was born less than a year ago and I was back at work, still PT, after 7 months as I missed it too much. I have built up a really good reputation in my field and am becoming well known and respected for what I do and I'm 100% serious about building my career in the area I'm currently working in and it's very much about career rather than job now. Like you my DH is now in a very senior city position and would be more than happy for me to be a SAHM forever but I know that I'll never go back now.

I went back after 12 weeks when I had my son and started to build my career, this time I am having an enforced period of sahm. My DC2 is nearly a year old and I am champing at the bit to go back to my career, but I have to wait for now due to my husbands job (it takes us around the world)