Returning to work early Mat leave

[McCheney73]

My baby is currently 16 weeks old.
I work in retail and had to leave work early thanks to covid.
Was furloughed for a month before my mat leave started so my income dropped and I didn't get my bonus either again thanks to covid.

So this messed me up financially big time. I'm skint. Was before all this but my bonus was going to massively sort me out. My OH works but it's a struggle to cover both of us and I hate having to ask him for money. I like my own spending money.

I want to to back to work from October when my lo will be 5 months old. Part time using my kit days and then hoping to go back 3 or 4 days a week. Will be all day my shop is open 9 till 5.30.

Here comes the guilt.... My OH is really annoyed I want to go back early and my mum friends seem horrified! My mum will look after him and my OH when he's not working and I have a good friend who would as well if needed. I can't afford to send him to nursery for another year as my eldest still goes.

He is so young though and I'm breastfeeding. I went back a day a week when my other son was 6 months (he was bottle fed) and back properly when he was 9 months and that was bad enough and I got a lot of stick for that as well!

With Christmas and my eldest birthday in December I just don't know what else to do.

Did anyone else go back early?

I’m self employed and my baby will be 3 months old when I return to work next April.

It makes me sad, but I am lucky that I can work part time so they will only be in nursery mornings. But if I stayed off longer I would lose my business as I will still have to pay overheads, so needs must.

9/12 months leave is for the lucky few in my eyes! Don’t feel guilty if you don’t fall into that group!

Btw if your OH is horrified then he needs to sort out money so you don’t feel like you have to go back so soon. If you made a baby together you need to pool resources otherwise you will always lose out!

If your OH doesn't want you to go back then he needs to pick up a second job.

My third baby will be 4 months when I return to work. I'll be pumping so baby can have bottled breast milk and then fed neutrally at night.

I went back to uni after two weeks leave with my first, which was too soon and I've just had two years off with my second, which is far too long for me 😱 Four to six months seems a good time, especially if granny is looking after baby and if you're only working part time.