i'm worried about work after materity... financial reasons

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I'm worrying about work after maternity leave ends, a bit premature as I'm only 8 weeks pg and haven't discussed this with my boss.
I commute into London to work so my day starts at 6.30am and I get home at 7pm, mon - fri. I have a job that I like and will not be able to get anywhere else in the country.I'm not sure my job working part time or shifting my hours will allow to pay for my travel or childcare, my husband works but I don't feel we could live off one wage. It feels like I should leave my job and look nearer to home but I feel I will end up on a supermarket check out. I need to work to pay the mortgage but child care is so expensive and my travel expenses are too. Maybe I need to work just to still be out there in the work place and then look for a new job nearer to home, maybe my attitude will change as a new mum, I'm not career driven I just don't want a dull job.
I'm concerned I will be demoted as well which will be less money which I could probably handle. I'm also concerned that my long hours are too long for childcare centres and that the hours in the evenings to spend with my child would not be sufficiant as a good mum. What do people do in this situation. money has always been an issue, I have debt to pay and a mortgage and now I'm going to have a child. If I was sensible I would know I couldn't really afford one but I'm in my 30's and desparately want one. Does anyone have any advice? I'm sure everything will sort itself out in the end, I just dred my house being repossessed!

I really wouldn't worry about it right now tbh. It's really early days and lots could change between now and 18 months time or whatever when this is actually going to be a problem.

Stay at your job while you are pregnant, then go on maternity leave and see how you feel then and how your finances are looking.

Personally I think it's unlikely you'll be happy being out of the house such long days every single day with a baby, although some do it, and finding affordable childcare for that long will be very difficult indeed.

Once you're on maternity leave you could start thinking about whether any of your skills are transferable to a slightly different job nearer home, whether moving is a possibility to cut down your commute, whether your DH giving up work to be a SAHD is a possibility instead of long periods of childcare, whether you can cut your hours at your present job, or any of the other different possibilities. It's impossible to tell so early on whether or how any of those might work for you as so much can change by then.

Congratulations by the way!

Thanks Flowerybeanbag, I know I'm thinking way ahead I'll just take it one step at a time and see how things go

I just want to say I think everything you've written is what's experienced by hundreds of thousands of women. Not that it makes it any easier for you, but sometimes it helps to know you're not alone.

There really aren't any simple answers.

So many women these days are well educated, and have spent years getting qualified and training and building up their career.. and then suddenly you want to start a family, and you realise that childcare costs an absolute bomb, and that not all careers are easily compatible with it anyway.

I agree with flowery that the main thing is relax and try not to over think it, or predict exactly what will happen. Things will turn out one way or another, just remember that hundreds of women fall pregnant every day, and they don't all end up losing their houses or stuck in rubbish jobs. Things may change, but that doesn't mean they have to get worse.

Good luck

One more piece of advice, don't feel that you have to be the only part of the solution. Yes, you are going on maternity leave, but you and your husband are both equally working parents and finding childcare is both your responsibilities. Talk about it with your DH now, so that ideas have time to surface. Some people have one parent do all the drops (say at 8am) then heading into work after and staying later, with the other parent going into work early but leaving early in order to pick-ups (by 6pm normally).
Start looking around you at work for working mothers, do they seem to have flexible working arrangements? Does anyone work from home?
There may be options that you haven't considered yet - don't despair!

loads of mums are in the same boat.

and for a lot of us that does mean some degree of demotion, check out work, out of hours working etc.

don't forget though that's it's not all about you. your dh needs to be thinking how can step up and change his role/hours/job or whatever.

fwiw dh and i both put in flexible working requests to our employers and both organised almost back to back working hours with dd going to nursery just 2 afternoons. it means i work mainly afternoon/evenings while he does very early starts. there are downsides to this obviously, but the plusses are that i'm there all day, and school holiday childcare isn't an issue. i don't see much of dh, but that isn't always a bad thing

i'm now on maternity leave with dc2, and will go back to work evenings again.

Thanks for all your advice,I know everything will work out fine I just need to change my mindset t taht of a parent. I'm sure I'll have a very different attitude as a new mum, so one step at a time

I really sympathise I was in your shoes 5 years ago. Your company might surprise you mine did.

Since children I now work 3 days a week with the same employer who are also very understanding of child related emergencies and have let me have time off as needed. My work days do mean that the girls are in nursery 7.30 till 6 but I am happy with my childcare and they are thriving.

I work in a very macho City of London environment BTW, and was the first to get flexible working agreed. Another colleague has now returned part time after her maternity leave too. There is hope we do live in the 21st century and some companies are recognising that its in their interest to be less rigid.

Congrats on your pregnancy and hoping that all goes well for you.