For the working moms...

MissLMS

How hard was it when you went back to work? Did you have a hard time with it, or were you looking forward to going back to work?

 I am loving staying at home with Kennedy. I always thought I wanted to be a stay at home mom. But, I've surprised myself because I really miss going to work everyday and am looking forward to going back at the end of July.

Didn't know if I'm the oddball here. I'm sure that once I do go back to work I'll miss being at home with Miss K.

lisap_30

Ugh.  I know it's not what you want to hear, but for me, it was AWFUL.  As stressful as it can be being at home 24 hrs a day with a newborn, I had a REALLY hard time going back to work.  I'm sure that part of it was the hormones, but I felt (and still feel) guilty about having Jenna in a daycare center.  Now, granted, I commute about 2 hrs each day on top of a 10 hr work day, so I am probably away from home more than most working moms.

However, is the "break" and "adult time" a welcome relief - yes!  After about a month or two, it got A LOT easier.  And, sometimes work is the only "me" time I have, which everyone needs.  I sometimes wonder how my SAHM friends find time for anything!  I think most people think that working part-time is the best of both worlds!

I think all working moms have some sort of guilt no matter how much they love their jobs.  I already wonder how I'm going to be a good mom when Jenna's in school and participating in activities - how am I going to be as much a part of that as I want??  I have no idea - but I think about it every day....  Maybe one day I can work part time, until then, I am working hard to pay off debt, and treasuring every minute I have with Jenna.

Sorry for the long response - I hope it wasn't Debbie Downer - but I think it is a hard transition (that will get better with time!)

amandabrooke81

So I was devastated at first thinking I'd miss out on all the milestones and early childhood development...even though I still work from home, I had to "hole" myself in my home office and commit to only seeing Mason for nursing every 3 hours. But eventually we got into a routine and I actually enjoyed the work time and felt completely comfortable with our Nanny caring for him.

And then, just under a month of returning from Leave, I got the layoff news... but even so, I've tried to maintain a strict schedule and continue with my new job- the job of finding a job. So I'm still "working" and my Nanny still comes in with the same schedule, just like before. Tuesday and Wednesday I flew out of town for an interview and it was the first 27 hours/overnight away from Mason; I felt totally comfortable with his care (the Nanny) AND I have to admit that I was completely energized by the business travel and was refreshed upon return.

My mom mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she thought that even if I had the resources/situation to be a stay-at-home mom that she thought I'd still at least "work" as a volunteer. I think I agree. 

For me personally, it makes me a better Mommy to continue working. I love my son dearly and completely---I had to come to the realization that not only does being a mother enrich me as a person overall, but being a working mother fulfills part of my purpose.

You shouldn't feel guilty or weird at all for missing work. It sounds like it's a passion of yours and you recognize that, so good for you!

hlw082104

I was ready to go back to work when I did but the longer I work and the older he gets the more I want to quit and be a SAHM. That's probably not what you want to hear either, but that's just how I feel. I was off for nearly a month in December because I had lots of vacation time I had to use or I would lose and the night before I went back to work I cried and cried. I know that it's not really the financially responsible thing to do right now to make a huge step like quitting my job, and DS is learning SOOOO much at daycare; is great at interacting with other kids but still...if I could quit my job tomorrow w/o worrying about money I so would.

hlw082104

Oh, forgot to add one thing, I always thought that I would want to be a working mom- that being a SAHM would never be something I would want to do. I guess you never really know what you want to do about something until you are really in that situation.

MrsJRT

I thought I would enjoy going back to work and was looking forward to having that part of my life, but after 3 months, it was just too much for me and I'm now a SAHM.  Our situation is a little different, and DS obviously needed a little higher level of care.  I never found anyone that I was 100% comfortable with so I'm sure that made a huge difference in my decision.  I guess you never know how you're going to feel until you go back, but I don't think it's weird at all that you are looking forward to going back-  your job is your passion so it's  huge part of who you are.  I think that's great.