Realistic about working from home?

[Sarah009]

hello, my baby is due in 3 months. I'm self employed but my main client is a very committed client keen to have me back- only I can't decide when/what hours/where. Some of the time I can work from home so I'm thinking of taking 9 or 12 months off before going back to his office part time (16-20hrs per week) but offering to do small numbers of hours (approx 7hrs/week) from home anytime after 6 months. I think I could do these hours in evenings or weekends when my husband is about, but is this a realistic plan or will I need a break by evenings and weekends??! Please share your experience to help me, so so difficult to tell how I'll feel/how hard it will be on one wage when we are used to two. Thanks people.

It sounds like a great plan to me - 7 hours would mean maybe 4 hours in the week and 3 at the weekend, which would work out well to do bits as you feel like it, and then your dh to have some time on his own with the baby too

Sounds like a good plan to me, also your baby will be having naps in the day at that age so you will have no problems fitting it in!

So you will be combining running your own business with full-time child care?

Be very careful about this. As your baby grows, he/she will require more and more of your time.

It's all very well relegating your business to evenings and weekends, or times when your DH can help - but what if you want to grow your business?

And - more importantly - what about time for you? Being a full-time carer for a child is very tiring. You will - if you're like the majority of women, it would seem, - also end up with the responsibility for looking after the house. And before you know it, you will be knackered and start to resent your husband who doesn't have these things to concern himself with, because he is at work all day and "deserves a break" when he gets home.

Make sure you have really talked this through with your DH first. Who is going to do what? When do you get a break? Can you afford a cleaner/someone to do the ironing? And make sure you know what your plans are for your business as well.

Sorry if this sounds like doom and gloom, but I think it's actually a fairly realistic picture ...

Sounds like a great plan if you are able to work when there is someone else to mind the baby. I tried working from home and child minding once - I gave up after she decided to get upset about something right in the middle of a phone conference. Now if I work 'from home' it's actually from my parents' house so they can mind DD and I can concentrate on work but still get a lunchtime cuddle.

7 hours isn't much to fit in at all, i think you'll be fine. I went back to work FT 6 weeks ago, but work from home 2 days a week. My DS goes to his CM in the morning on those days and comes home in the afternoons. I fit in 4/5 hours work in the morning and then do another couple when he's napping in the afternoon. Because i work long hours Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (8.15 till 5.30ish) i manage to get all my work done. But i reckon i'm owed a bit of flexibility because my job demands me to be on call and work some unsocial hours. I am also flexible and state that if anything urgent comes up, i'll come into the office. But then i'm also lucky because i have family (sister, parents, aunt) nearby who could help if needed and my CM is also very, very flexible.

I think that providing you plan it well and have a plan A, B and C if something goes wrong and you can't take care of your LO then you should be fine. They key is to be super organised. And going by what BecauseImWorthIt says, yes, make sure your DH is fully behind the move and is both willing and able to support you. I couldn't have done it without mine, who is both understanding and very willing and able to share the housework even when he's knackered and has had a shit day.

Cool, thanks everyone for your answers. Some really helpful insights. I'm lucky to have a husband who is helpful and home in time with enough energy to share the chores. We'll have to keep sharing.

Sounds okay to me. I went back when DD2 was 4 months and managed 2 hrs work most days while she slept (I invested a bit of time in the run-up trying to convince her to have 1 longer nap rather than several short ones!). I did that for a fairly short period before she started with a childminder at 6 months, but I imagine it would have worked okay for a few months more. Naps get a bit less predictable after 12 months though!