When did you... go back to work? Start daycare?

vixyash · August 2009

All these questions seem so simple for moms with term babies... but all of a sudden I find myself in this strange situation.

6 of my 8 weeks of California pregnancy disability leave were spent with DD in the NICU. My 12 weeks of FMLA are now ticking away and will be up in mid-October. Pedi said that the earliest she could go into daycare would be October, but in another breath talked about how important it was to quarantine during the flu season...

I'm terrified to put her in daycare in the fall and so soon after her birth! When did you put your LO in daycare? When did you go back to work? Although being a SAHM wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, I feel like my options are limited.

*KatieH* · August 2009

I don't work but I do go to school. Last semester I only took one class to ease myself into it with being a mom. ?I found a woman, a grandmom, who does in-home daycare, to watch Brendan. ?She is very inexpensive and took his health very seriously. ?She only had him and one other baby. ?

TriciaJoy · August 2009

I ended up taking a year leave of absence from work. We had to borrow from my 401k to make it through, but we've managed (well, we're officially out of money this month, but I'm going back to work the week after next)

If I'd have had to go back last RSV season, my doctor wanted him to have a nanny in our home. Since he got through RSV season and is okayish (He had a wheezing/bronchiolitis episode this summer, but otherwise has been okay) she said he was okay to go to daycare. He's going to an in-home infant only (under 2) daycare.

I'm nervous as hell about it, though.

njkaren · August 2009

I teach and took off the school year last year to stay home. If I had gone back to work I would have had to have an in home babysitter because of RSV season. I am going back to work in September. My parents will be watching Brandon at my house one day a week, he will be going to my friend's house who has an 8 month old two days a week, and he will be going to a babysitter who has a 10 month old and will also be watching an 18 month old the other two days.

jennifer griveas · August 2009

i was on short term disability leave while on bedrest/in hospital. Then I took my 6 weeks medical leave after my son was born, then went back to work while he was still in the hospital so I could use the remaining 6 weeks of leave when he came home. When he did come home I wound up taking 8 weeks total (I requested 2 unpaid weeks when my paid leave ran out). It was hard to go back full time. My husband stays home with him during the day and is working for himself now (he was laid off while I was in the hospital). We want to try to avoid day care, so for as long as things work out, my husband is going to stay at home and is working for himself. He gets a few jobs a month and does them afternoons/weekends. My mom fills in sometimes because she only works until 3. it is a crazy arrangement, but it works! I'd much rather be at home with Nicholas, but for now, I'm making the best of the situation we have and am just thankful to be able to avoid day care for at least a year.

SBMBride406 · August 2009

At the suggestion of both our pedi and Marino's critical care doctor, I stayed home with him until 4.5 months actual age. It was November and the beginning of RSV season. He got Synagis and never got even a cold until the first month he was off Synagis. We are lucky that we have a daycare in our County for medically fragile children and they take extra precautions during RSV season.

goblue · August 2009

I actually went back to work part-time two weeks after DS was born. I worked part-time for the next 10 weeks until the week he came home. I then took off 9 weeks - about 5.5 of those were unpaid. DH then stayed home for about 5 weeks and then we juggled for another 4-5 weeks while we found a nanny. We plan to have a nanny until DS is 2 - probably until Fall 2010. It is very expensive, but very worth it, imo. We are having to scrimp by and burn up savings, but DS has been very healthy (only one very minor cold) and is doing great developmentally. Imo, it's not just the health issues, it's also the developmental issues. Having someone who can just focus on your LO and his developmental needs/milestones is a big advantage over a daycare where they will have 2-3 other babies. Good luck!

meldoo2002 · August 2009

I went back to work 6 weeks after the boys came home so 12 weeks after I delivered. When I went back (work in a school) full time my mom, DH, and MIL each took 2 weeks off to watch the boys til school let out for the summer. I'm not going back in the fall, but still work per diem for Early Intervention 15 hours+/week. MIL watches the boys at our house during those hours or I work on DH's days off. Our NICU doctors said no daycare for the first year so it wasn't even a consideration for us.

NotJustAnAuntie · August 2009

I went back to work 2 weeks after Max was born... my leave was unpaid (company is very small) so I didn't want to waste it! My office is 2 blocks from the hospital, and home is 40 miles, so I was closer to him at work than at home... I walked over 3 times a day to feed him and then when he came home, I took my planned 2 months leave.

sweetpea18 · August 2009

I went back to work after 3 months, but was fortunate enough to keep Reese out of daycare until she was almost 4 months old. A friend of mine, who is a teacher, watched her for 3 1/2 weeks. She was going to watch her for longer, but was very pregnant! My mom took a week of vacation to watch her. She went to daycare after that week was up.

Want a personalized experience?

When did you... go back to work? Start daycare?

Re: When did you... go back to work? Start daycare?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards