Are you going back to work after bub?

[Sascha Fitzpatrick]

Sometimes I feel like I'm an anomaly amongst Christian circles.

So I thought I'd ask here - how many of you are going back to work after bub, and when are you planning to go back?

For us, I'll have a year off (I'm not pregnant yet), most of which I'll be at half-pay for (all but 4 weeks we've worked out) - and then I'll go back for 2-3 days/week. And it's not for 'extras' - it's just to be able to live.

Just sometimes when I've asked on a Christian forum about going back to work, I almost get treated like I'm a selfish, heartless, unthinking woman for even considering the idea - and that I'm going against God's plan.

Doesn't even matter that we'd plan our shifts so that if I wasn't at home, my husband would be, and if neither of us could be either my mum or family day care would be used, and that would be a 1 in a 1000 days kinda scenario. All that would be heard is 'the mum is going back to work' and it was almost like I'd blasphemed...

So, I've wondered. Which women on here are going back to work after baby? And how long after, and how have you worked out childcare?

Sasch

 

[Green Orchid]

I'm not going back to work. With my Biblical Studies degree, I can't get a job that pays well enough and that I love enough to make it worth it to go back. So I'll volunteer at church and elsewhere when I need to get out of the house. Plus, I want to raise my children, I don't want a daycare worker to do that (if you get daycare here, it has to be fulltime).

 

[purpleunicorn_Andi]

I probly am going to go back to work... a friend has offered to let me watch her kids this summer for pay... don't know how much she can pay, but I will probly go back to my other job at least part time until we get to a point where we don't need the extra check... as you said my husband and I are working so that we will not need child care. and if we do we have friends who are willing to watch Thomas, and also Ken's brother's family lives not too far away, and we could probly get them to watch the kids in a pinch if needed...
but like you, we need the extra income, so my not going back is not an option at this time.

 

[BananaCake]

Currently, I work part-time and direct a ministry part-time. I will continue to do ministry after the baby is born. Beyond that, I'm not sure! We're praying for my husband to get a different job, partially for financial reasons and partially because he'd like to have a job that is fulfilling.

But I don't think anyone should be made to feel bad for going back to work. My husband's parents both worked, and they alternated shifts so that my husband wasn't in day care. Plus, his siblings are much older than him. But even if you do need to use daycare, there are good ones out there, even ones run by Christians. We shouldn't have to feel badly if we need to use daycare, or even if we want to use daycare.

 

[jessesgirl]

I didn't go back to work, but that doesn't make me any more of a mommy than you! The only reason I didn't was because hubby said from day one that when we had children, he wanted me to stay home. He also has a really, really good job that just pays better with every year that passes. If I had needed to in order to live, I would not have hesitated to go back to work. I would do some really extensive research before daycare, though, because daycares here are really shady.

 

[RedTulipMom]

No, I won't be going back to work, i haven't worked since i got pregnant with Luke, I have been home for 3 yrs now with him. I plan on homeschooling so i doubt i will ever go back to work, in that sense. But taking care of a 3 yr old, a newborn and the house will be plenty of work.

 

[Beth1231]

We planned this baby to the month and thankfully, all went according to plan. I wanted to have three months with baby before returning to school as a teacher and the Lord answered our prayer! Part of the time, baby will be with a mom from the preschool and part of the time baby will be upstairs in the babysitting room of the preschool. I'm blessed to have the best of both worlds. I don't know if I could do it if I was working 40 hours a week, though. I'm home by 1PM, so that works out well with having a little one.
I used to look down on moms who wanted to return to work. But after being a nanny for a wonderful mom and seeing how she made it work....I changed my perspective on that. I'm sorry some people are making you feel like less of a Christian for your decisions!

 

[Redstiletto]

I am going back to work, probably full time, but the good news is... I can bring my baby to work!

 

[jessesgirl]

I am going back to work, probably full time, but the good news is... I can bring my baby to work!

That IS good news, great news even! How wonderful! What do you do?

 

[Redstiletto]

Well it will be my new job, I will be a marketing person for a swimschool, and I can work from home, and on the days that I have to go in to actually teach a class, there are other women there that are more than willing to watch bump while I am teaching!

And I know the owners, their daughters are cheerleaders of mine, so that is how I got the in!

 

[PegasusOnFire]

I am going back to work once school goes back into session. Like Beth we planned this baby around the school year, I am due the last week of school, so I will have the whole summer with Mary and Christian. And then we are looking at two different sitters for when I go back to work, if we can go with the one here in town then I can have the girls between routes.

 

[~Nikki~]

I'm not going back to work...

 

[Sign Of The Fish Burger]

When the time comes, I WILL be going back to work. Like you Sasch, I've gotten that same familar feeling of not being a good person. All of DH's sisters became SAHM's after the bub was born and their quality of life has diminished (can't pay bills, cars falling apart etc.)

As for DH adn I, we decided that I could quit my job and live Ok- probably paycheck to paycheck, but we wuld survive. If I went back to work, that would insure that our children would be able to go to college and we could pay for it, we would have a savings account, we would be able to take a family trip at least once a year, and other things that I believe are important.

 

[ConservativeChristian97]

I haven't workied in almost a year, but that's because hubby's able to support me and will be able to support both me and Remi. If you have to work I think that's differant than someone who works to have a 5,000 sq ft house and new Mercedes every year. No one should make you feel bad for trying to support your kids.

Also, I think its commendable you and your hubby are working it out so one of you is with the baby. That's great! A lot of parents don't think about that as an option.

 

[olafias]

I am going back to work and like redstilleto, I also get to bring my baby to work! Luckily, work is at my in-laws house and they are really excited that I'll be "raising our kids at their house". The only bad thing, my parenting skills will be critiqued, but I really like the way they brought up their kids, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

[purpleunicorn_Andi]

I am hating my job right now... I had asked them to put in 40 hours of my PTO for the first week I missed, and I just checked the bank... my check was for about half of what it should have been...so I have to go up there and make sure the hours get put in for my next paycheck...

Ken says we will make it alright, but we were just getting to a point where we weren't in the red every week, and were paying off the utility bills... and now this happens we were going to pay down on my payday loan this week... but can't do that because we don't have the money.....

 

[seamonster]

I will be going back to college for one year (so I'll be away a lot), after which time I'll be working while my husband finishes up his degrees.

Once he's graduated with his degrees I'll be able to stay at home with the kids, but until then I will be working. We're going to try to get a schedule so that one of us is always home with the kids -- either he'll take night classes and I'll work days, or he'll go to class in the mornings and I'll work nights.

 

[purpleunicorn_Andi]

well KEn is wanting me to find something else... part time... and get out of the job I am in right now...

 

[nateboy]

I have to work as well. I have also felt the same way on these forums. A lot of women have stated that they sacrifice a lot by not working and that is wonderful. I sometimes, however, feel that some people (not all) feel that those of us that have to work aren't sacrificing enough. That is not true at all!!! We all come with unique situations - a lot of unfortunte situations. This is my perception. I think when you have to work and you frequently see postings about how people are sacrificing, that perception is easy to have. It is probably the wrong perception but it is still my perception based on the strong feeling associated with this topic.

First of all, there is no way we could pay bills without my paycheck. Also, my husband's employer does not cover family in their medical insurance. It costs an extra $550 a month to be covered under insurance. Some people, like us, would make too much $$ on one income to be covered by the state so that's not an option. In addition, the housing market is so crazy and in a lot of areas houses have raised $75,000 if not more in just the past three to five years.The housing market in most of the midwest is much better than in the Northwest. The Northwest is crazy. If we still lived in our house in AZ, I would be able to stay home. We no longer live there and sold right before the whole housing market frezny. We can't rent forever and real estate is the best investment. We are 32 years old and need stability. A lot of people who stay at home bought there houses at least three years ago. If they didn't, there husbands make enough money to pay the bills. It's just so tough lately.

God knows our hearts. I am praying very hard that the Lord will at least let me work just part time after baby #2 is born!! We are praying that my husband gets a better paying job with insurance. The Lord knows what our kids need. He has provided wonderful Christian people to watch over our child during these last three years (with some horrible bumps in the road with a few people). I feel like God has told me that my child is really His child and I am being entrusted to raise the child. This has caused me to place more faith in God when I would feel so guilty about leaving my three year old. If there is absolutely no way and one must work, this attitude may help you.

We are going to try to make it work by me working only three days a week. This will be my second child.

 

[ChildByGrace]

I will be working 24/7 lol.

Seriously no i won't be going back to work. I am taking a 5 year career break from my job and then hopefully by the time i am due to go back i will have two children and will just hand in my notice.
It doesn't make any sense for me to return to my job - it would actually cost more in childcare and travel than i would earn so we would be worse off. I couldn't leave the baby with my mum as she is disabled (plus i;d have to drop it off at 6am and i don't think that's fari) and my MIL wouldn't know what on earth to do with the baby if i left it with her.

It will be very tight for us as we are planning on moving and out outgoings will be going up and our in comings will drop alot but that doesn't bother me - i still believe i can give the child/ren everything that they need.

i don't look down on anyone who is in a position where they have to go back to work but i know that for myself i will do anything to make sure that i stay at home while my child/ren are at home.

When they are at school i am planning in getting a job in a school so that i don't have to work during the school holidays.

If you can work it so that your H is with you kids Sasch then i think that's great - kids love their dad's infulance.