Thought on going back to work before DS is 6 months...

[DazedEmma]

My baby is due in September and I have agreed with work to work until early Sept, leaving me 2 week before my due date so I have longer with her when she arrives. However, I can't afford to take long off after she's arrived and plan on going back when she is 6 months.

As she is my first, I am clueless about what is do-able. Is it realistic to agree to going back to work when she is only 6 months?

For some people, yes, for some people no.

When I had my first, I couldn't bear to leave him and resigned whilst I was on maternity leave. You never know how a child is going to impact your life until it actually arrives! They are all different and we all feel differently about childcare options etc.

You can plan to go back at 6 months, but I would keep it flexible.

yes very much so IME - it is only recently the mat leave period was extended to 9 months. i have gone back to work when DD was 7 months and when DS was 8 months. Everyone is different but IME by the time LO was around 6 months things get to the stage where you can imagine 'leaving them'. When they are first born this seems like a horror story but there does come a time when you cherish some 'you time'

What hours would you be going back on? As i'm saying all this on my 22 hrs a week and full time would be much much harder IMO.

i had to do it and did it (i think successfully)

the key is to have really good childcare which you are happy with

have you got any holiday you can add to your mat leave?

i think this is something where there is not "one size fits all" but something you figure out in the best way, for your family

I have proposed tues, wed, thurs full-time...

my mum is going to have her when i go back to work, i'm only young so have a young mum so she will cope ok.

Completely doable. I went back ft when DS was 4.5 months old (for many reasons) and I just had it in my head from the beginning when it would be and just got on with it - on the basis that there wasn't any point in fretting about it. DS loved his nursery, and it all worked out fine.

well i'm going to get her in nursery as soon as possible, just to get her mixing with other babies etc. I don't know how I'm going to feel when she arrives, although I already love her more than anyone else in the entire world so i might find it harder than i expect...

See how you feel when she's born.
It's not necessary to mix with other babies at 6 months old.

Second MRsruffalo. Not necessary for a 6 month old to mix with other babies. Plenty of time for that.

But lots of people do go back at 6 months, so is doable,

I went back full-time when dd was 6 months. Was a bit nervous about it but dd settled into nursery very well (she will be two on Tuesday and still loves it) and we all slipped into the routine quite nicely. You will be fine.

The fact that your mum will look after her makes the world of difference, I think. It will be still be hard to leave her no doubt, but leaving her with someone who loves her is ideal and should involve far less potential upset than settling her in childcare. I tried nursery and nannies for my ds at six months but didn't feel happy until I found a great childminder three months down the line. But if my mum had been on hand, that would have been perfect. So yes, I think it should be doable for you. Good luck and really enjoy those first six months!

We only get 6 months in Ireland. And then a few weeks UNPAID mat leave if we can afford to take them.

In the US they go back after 3 months.

I hope you have an easy birth and they you are healed up before you go back - most women say 6 months is just enough after a vaginal birth. A cesarean might have a longer recovery time, so if possible leave it flexible.