For Those Who Go Back to Work

[alicia9178]

When do you go back? How old will your baby be? What will your childcare arrangement be? Concerns?

I have an interview today...hoping not to go back until October though. I am quite nervous because Kasey is a troublesome nurser and I am real scared to introduce a bottle.

Alicia

[hopeandolive]

I will take 10-12 weeks off. My DH and I work opposite shifts, but we still opt for 2 full time days of childcare and 3 1/2 days. My DCP is less than a mile from me and has a terrific group of kids. My 3 yr old loves going. To me it is just so much more stimulating for her than sitting at home all day. The baby will go on the same schedule as my dd. I will probably ease back into work by starting out coming back for 1/2 days at 10 weeks and then finally going to full days after 12. I'm just very happy that we are already established with our DCP and that is one less worry I have.

Good luck, it is so tough when they are so little!

[diamond lil]

I plan on taking 6 to 8 weeks off. I'm supposed to be interviewing daycare providers. I have a list. I just haven't doneit yet. Maybe I'll get going on that today.

I'm a little worried about baby taking a bottle, but we have a good pump, we have a nursing/pumping friendly doctor and a lactation consultant on speed dial.

[MsMom]

I also plan on 6-8 weeks
We are VERY lucky though to have the most wonderful daycare provider. She has been watching ds for 3 years, and he loves it there. It's an in-home (liscensed) daycare, and she is a former preschool teacher so they actually do a lot of learning activities too!

[greenmom4]

I have 12 weeks paid leave and another 2-3ish weeks of vacation saved up after that (although, I don't think I'll use it all, I want to save some for holidays, etc). So that puts me back to work in mid November.

I work a typical office schedule (actually, 7-4) and my h works 4-10 or midnight, so unless I'm traveling we don't have to worry about childcare, which is nice, although we really don't see each other for most of the week.

I actually feel very comfortable going back to work - I like my job, and my h can bring the babe to work or I can quick swing home to nurse. I've also been told I can bring the little one with me on a site visit I'll have to do in December, so that makes me feel a bit better, too.

[becomingme]

I'm taking 14-16 weeks off, starting on Monday (I'm due this Saturday). As for daycare -- we're in the process of figuring that out...we're looking into both traditional daycare and we're also meeting with other families that are considering nanny shares. The nanny share is my preference, but the expense and the coordination and the lack of a backup option seem worrisome. Still, my company is flexible, and my boss has told me I can bring the baby to work...I'm not sure I'd actually be able to get any work done if I did, but I feel fortunate to have a work situation and a boss who is committed to coming up with options to make my coming back after maternity leave as doable as possible.

Still, I am definitely anxious about the childcare piece...I think bringing baby to work everyday just wouldn't be sustainable for me - not if I'm going to be productive. But I don't think it really hit me until recently how small and helpless babies are when we are put in the position of having to trust in someone else to care for them. It does make a little anxious.

nk

[heatherRN]

In California we have 6 weeks (vaginal birth) paid disability and 6 weeks paid baby bonding. After that I have only a week of vacation to use and some savings. I really hope that I won't have to return until after the New Year, so 4 plus months. My husband takes the California 6 week baby bonding when I return to work to help with the transition, so we may be able to swing one of us home fulltime until the baby is 6 months. We worked different shifts and we both work part-time, so we won't need childcare. We have thought about it several times, but it is so hard to do. I am sorry for the mamas that have to swing that.
I returned last time when my ds was just over 3 months-old and it was so hard for all of us. I think in a perfect world mom is home for the first 6 months. Fortunately, I had no trouble pumping and my dh was able to bring my ds to see me once a shift (we only live 2 blocks from the hospital where we both work). Good luck first time moms, hopefully we working moms can help you with the transition.

[heatherRN]

Originally Posted by becomingme

I'm taking 14-16 weeks off, starting on Monday (I'm due this Saturday).

nk

I see you are in SF, do you pay into state disability? you should have taken 4 weeks disability prior to your due date paid! I am in SF too!

[zoebird]

i'm not certain, but i've already scheduled a training on Sept 21--so i know that i'll be working that day.

teaching yoga, i'm lucky that my work is scheduled by me, that i can go back when i want, and so on. the studio where i work is very open to me babywearing while working, breastfeeding while working, and so on. also, the studio owner is willing to provide child care while i'm teaching (she'll be upstairs).

so, i'm not really concerned about going back to work at all. i love teaching so much, so i may go back to a pretty full schedule relatively soon after the birth, since i can do it with the baby.

i think the schedule may be: tuesday 2 hr study group (in my home); thursday evening 1 hr yoga class; friday evening 1.25 hr yoga class; saturday morning 1.25 hr yoga class; and then the 6 teacher training workshops that i'm leading (first one sept 21). i might also teach thursday mornings for 1.25 hrs as well, but i haven't decided.

oh, and i have two private clients as well, and i'll probably teach them back-to-back on mondays. they also want me to bring the baby with me. the female client said that i can have the baby there during her lesson, and then during her husband's lesson, she'll watch/hold the baby. so that works out well.

i'm psyched; means i can go to work whenever and i can continue with continuum concept!

[meredyth0315]

My situation is up in the air. Tomorrow's my last day and it's unknown if any of us will have a job in the next few months. Our division will be closing in December, and I planned on coming back in November, so I can't see coming back for a month only. I was willing to work from home, but our workload is so light it's just not necessary. I think what I may do is take some college courses, my core ones, online and work towards my nursing degree and let DH work for a while as he's always been home with the boys and I know he's ready for a break and I'm ready to be a full time mama. I was ready for it after our 2nd son was born, but financially it wasn't happening. I'm just going with the flow and what will be will be

[allborntogrow]

Originally Posted by heatherRN

In California we have 6 weeks (vaginal birth) paid disability and 6 weeks paid baby bonding. After that I have only a week of vacation to use and some savings. I really hope that I won't have to return until after the New Year, so 4 plus months. My husband takes the California 6 week baby bonding when I return to work to help with the transition, so we may be able to swing one of us home fulltime until the baby is 6 months. We worked different shifts and we both work part-time, so we won't need childcare. We have thought about it several times, but it is so hard to do. I am sorry for the mamas that have to swing that.
I returned last time when my ds was just over 3 months-old and it was so hard for all of us. I think in a perfect world mom is home for the first 6 months. Fortunately, I had no trouble pumping and my dh was able to bring my ds to see me once a shift (we only live 2 blocks from the hospital where we both work). Good luck first time moms, hopefully we working moms can help you with the transition.

Also in California so I will be taking the paid time off from the state, plus I can take another 4 weeks off from work. I was able to save up some money so I can take the full 16 weeks. I really don't want to go back on December 20th, though, so I told my boss Jan. 2nd but, if you read my earlier thread, you see that she is sort of a spaz so we'll see. At LEAST 16 weeks though.

[Surfer Rosa]

Man, I feel for you guys in the US. Come to Canada!
The earliest I will go back is fall 2009. What will likely happen is that I'll go back for second semester (Feb 2010, I teach high school art). I may do some substitute teaching starting in 2009, but only b/c I want to stay on top of what's happening with "my" kids, lol. I took 2 years off last time, and felt so out of touch when I went back to teaching-I barely knew any of the kids.
Good daycare here is scarce-I'm already on a bunch of waitlists for the new baby, and that's for Jan 2010!!! It was hard for us to find the right place last time b/c of our "picky" food choices (vegetarian, healthy) and desire for DD to be in a TV free atmosphere...

[Shiloh]

I am back at school to finish my degree full time FIRST WEEK SEPT after labour day...what was I thinking? Now you see why I am paniced .... I need atleast 2 weeks of this baby being out as I have never pumped in my life successfully....

[AKA_PI]

8 -10 weeks off. 8 paid and 2 unpaid. Kendall will be going to daycare. I found a really great one near my apartment that I really like.

[not now]

I'm taking the full six weeks of maternity leave and then I will max out my FMLA. The man and I have been saving money since I was five months pregnant to make up for any income that I'll be missing. The man was maxed out on his sick and vacation time so he's off for 6 weeks to help me adjust and sleep then I'm on my own on the days he works. eep!

When I do go back I'm part-time so that means I only work three days a pay period. I'm an RN and my hospital is trying for magnet status so as a staff nurse I write my own schedule. I'll be working on days that the man is off (he works four days one week and three the next) and/or weekends so my mom can watch him.

As far as pumping goes my manager and co-workers are awesome about letting mom's take breaks to pump. We have a back room that we don't put patients in but it still has a bed and is used by all the pumping moms.

[redebeth]

My situation is I work part time, around my hubby's schedule. So he works 7-4 M-F and I have the kids. Then I work 5-11 some evenings and weekends and he has the kids. It works out ok, we have little all together family time but it keeps our marriage fresh.

Unfortunately, I didn't qualify for FMLA because I didn't work enough hours last year. Like, it has to be 1300 hrs and I worked 1100 or something. So my employer, who I normally love, won't hold my medical benefits after my initial 6 weeks of PP disability are up. I have to pay out of pocket for them and that's over $1000/mo. that I just don't have right now. So, I have to go back at 6 weeks, or else lose our whole families medical insurance.

[heatherRN]

Originally Posted by redebeth

Unfortunately, I didn't qualify for FMLA because I didn't work enough hours last year. Like, it has to be 1300 hrs and I worked 1100 or something. So my employer, who I normally love, won't hold my medical benefits after my initial 6 weeks of PP disability are up. I have to pay out of pocket for them and that's over $1000/mo. that I just don't have right now. So, I have to go back at 6 weeks, or else lose our whole families medical insurance.

This happened to me too! I was a hundred or so hours short. Fortunately, I figured that might be the case and my dh added us to his health insurance. I have HMO through him and then I signed up for PPO to cover the homebirth. I can't imagine not having health insurance, and cobra is SOO expensive.

ETA: Hi to all the nurses (and soon to be studying nursing)! Maybe we should have a August DDC nurses thread

[alicia9178]

Originally Posted by heatherRN

ETA: Hi to all the nurses (and soon to be studying nursing)! Maybe we should have a August DDC nurses thread

I too never noticed how many of us are nurses!!!
Alicia

[robertandenith]

Alicia good luck to you!!!

well, I have an unusual job... I work when hubby is at home Since I will be breastfeeding I am going to make arrangements to have hubby around with the baby so I could breastfeed. I was planning to get a pump but I decided not to. I sold my medela after my last baby thinking I was done with babies UGH!!!! I so regret it...

[Shiloh]

I am debating on buying a pump...I know it should be electric but no idea of what to buy and darn they are expensive!