Did you go back to work after maternity leave?

Question

If you became a SAHM what did you do for income? My commute to work is an hour and if I go back to work full time (which I wouldn’t be able to switch to part time because I need the benefits and wouldn’t be able to afford health insurance or day care if I cut my hours) I wouldn’t spend any time with my 18 week old LO. By the time I leave work and get home it would be after 6pm & her bedtime is 7pm :( any advice?

Answer

I’m a barber so I work as I have appointments scheduled or I cram all my people into one day. So technically I’m not even part time, more a SAHM than anything. For you, Id ask myself how bad do you need the money? If you’re able to deal with the income cut than just stay home and don’t feel bad about it. Staying at home is just as stressful as going to work. If you need the money though, even if it breaks your heart, go back to work. You gotta keep a roof over that baby’s head.

Answer

I stayed home with my son because he was a 30 weeker and they recommended no daycare for a year. I ended up doing door dash on his dads days off.

Answer

Had to go back to work. Can’t afford to live off of 1 income. Always look at your finances first - if you are on maternity leave and then quit, you could owe back money depending on insurance or any other benefits you may need. One lady in DC owed her company $2k for leaving immediately after leave. She found a better job. Had no idea she might have to owe anything. So just watch out.

Answer

I decided to leave my well paying job to be a SAHM. I babysit to make up for some of the lost income

Answer

It was cheaper for me to stay home than to pay a daycare for the times we needed care. I ended up babysitting a baby around the same age as mine. It’s a lot at first but I was able to work with their parents and found a schedule for the baby that worked for all of us.

Answer

Daycare here for my 2 year old
Is 1100 a month. For my newborn in May 1600 a month. Add those together. I wouldn’t make enough to cover that and pay someone else to watch them. It makes sense for me to stay home. It’s hard some
Days. But my daughter is safe with mom and we budget and do just fine. Shop sales be smart about money. A lot of people realize that the cost of daycare isn’t worth going back to work. If you still want some income what I did was nanny a child. He was my husbands boss kid. He came to my home everyday m-f. I pulled in 500 a week for him but he also has some behavioral issues to work with. Nannying is good too because if you nanny at someone’s home and they have a child your child’s age it helps so they can play together and socialize but you’re still making money. Babysitting as well. Offer last minute services to people who’s nanny’s bailed or called in

Answer

It is insanely hard for my first I went back when she was 10 months then found out I was pregnant again when she turned one. Worked the rest of the year and then quit before my maternity leave was up. I’m not going back to work until after my youngest is in pre k and my husband will get a second job if we need it so that I can stay home to raise them. It’s what works best for us. And paying for 2 little baby’s in daycare was so expensive I wasn’t bringing enough home for me to justify staying at work and leaving a 6 week old baby in the care of someone else.

Answer

I made special arrangements with my supervisor to start work an hour earlier so I can leave right at 5. I get home by 6 and can hang with my guy until he goes to bed at 7ish and then log back in to work after he goes to bed if needed. We spend time together on the weekend. I feel like this is pretty standard for working parents, unfortunately. Not ideal but pretty much everyone I know does something like this. It’s only for a few years. Once they start school they will stay up later at night and you have more time.

Did you go back to work after maternity leave?

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