If you are planning on going back to work....

When do you plan on going back? Full time? and who will be watching the baby??

My DH is so upset we will have to do Day Care but its to hard to loose my salary and benefits I dont think we could survive without them.

As of right now. I plan to go back after 12 weeks. I will get 60% pay for 6-8 weeks for STD and then o pay for the last 4-6 weeks, and even that is going to be hard.

Message edited 7/6/2009 2:06:31 PM.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

we are still up in the air - but we are between me going back after 6 weeks or 12 weeks (I wouldn't be getting paid the last 6 weeks if I took the 12)... but in either case - my mom will be watching the baby.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

Fortunately, my dad is my boss and my job can be done *for the most part* from home. I plan on taking 3 full weeks off and then working mostly from home, but coming into the office here and there to do a few things. I figure when I come in for an hour or two here and there I can bring the baby, or I can leave him/her with my mom.

ETA: We cannot afford for me to not work.

Message edited 7/6/2009 2:01:49 PM.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'll be taking 10 full weeks off (sick & vaca time + a few weeks unpaid) and then working 2 weeks part-time. After those 12w are up I'll be going back full-time. My parents are retired & will be watching the baby 2 1/2 days a week. My dh & I adjusted our schedules so that we cover the rest of the time ourselves. Luckily we both work for the county in facilities that are open nights & weekends, so we have some flexibility with our schedules...

Message edited 7/6/2009 5:17:11 PM.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

Well...we are sacrificing alot so i won't have to work after i have the baby for at least 4-6 months. Its going to be tough. Because of this we have put our plans of buying our first home on hold and we are moving to my MIL's house. She has a 2 family house and we are taking over one of the apartments. We will pay her rent...but its not much for a 3 bedroom apartment. We will be living off my husbands salary alone. We probably wont be saving any money for those few months but its something we both feel we can handle.

After my 6 months are up...i will be returning to work part time for another 6 months and probably full time after that. While i am at work, my mom will be watching somedays and my aunt the others.

If i feel like we are struggling with $$ then this will all change and i will be going to work a lot sooner.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I hate the thought of daycare too we are trying to avoid it..I have my sister watching the baby one day, my inlaws watching for 2, and my dh will stay home one day...I am in search for someone to watch the baby for one day during the week and then i think i can avoid the dc situation,,,as for going back to work yep i am returning to work..I will be taking 12 weeks off unfortunately for 6 of those weeks i will be losing my pay but i will still have all my benefits...Fortunately me and my husband we bought a house over a year ago and have been saving so losing my 2 paychecks wont break us..

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'll be taking 12 weeks off. 6 unpaid when I go back full time.. my sister will watch the baby 2 days a week and Day care 3 days a week.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

i only get 12 weeks unpaid through FMLA. i am required to take all of my sick, vacation and floating vacation days during that time. so i am estimating i will get paid for about 3 to 4 weeks of the 12 weeks i am home.

after that i have to return to work full time, we cannot afford for me to stay at home.

ETA: both DC will be in day care. just not sure where yet.

Message edited 7/6/2009 2:39:34 PM.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I am taking 14 weeks off (2 weeks prior to birth and 12 weeks after)

My last day of work is 8/25 and I come back on 12/7

eta - the baby will go to in home daycare, where my dd goes now

Message edited 7/6/2009 2:40:39 PM.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I am taking 12 weeks off but actually only 2 will be of me NOT working. My job is extremely flexible & for the most part, my job can be done *at home* I made a deal with my boss to continue working from home & coming in here & there to pick things up this way everything remains to run smoothly. When I do come back after the 12 weeks, I will only be in the office 3 days a week. Two of the days, my friends mom is watching DS & one day my MIL will watch. I will be working Mon, Wed & Thurs

I could afford to stay home but DH & I want me to continue to work as much as I can especially since things are flexible for me.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'm taking 12 weeks off (fully paid). After that, DS will go to daycare. I could stay at home, but choose to work for a lot of reasons and it works for our family.

DD goes there now-and we will keep her in part time while I am home on leave because I've heard taking a toddler out and putting them back in after a few months is a difficult transition for them.

As for DS and daycare-yes, daycare can be difficult to embrace. You put your trust, your world, your child in the hands of another for part of the day. This is a very difficult thing to so. However, there are so many benefits to it-education, socialization, structure, etc. Try focusing on that, and all of what you do as a mom to provide for your family.

Message edited 7/6/2009 3:07:18 PM.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I get 16 weeks paid maternity and then will go back full time but I will hopefully make the arrangments to work from home part time and then part time in the office in the beginning and then eventually work FT back in the office.

If I have any vacation or personal days left at that time I will use some of them so I can stay home longer.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I am taking a 10 month leave of absence for DS, unpaid. After that , we will have a nanny

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I only work part time now, 3 days a week in the school (so school calendar). My SIL watches my DS now 2 days and he is in daycare 1 day. This baby is due the end of feb so I will take 8 weeks off and go back prob the first week of may, finish out till June, then have the summer off. My DS will be in daycare 3 days a week at that time and my SIL is going to then watch the new baby 2 days a week and I will have to find coverage for the remaining day for DC#2 for the 7 weeks I go back to work (hopefully b/t my mom, dad, and my DH we can make it work somehow). Once I start in sept again, the new baby will be back to my SIL for 2 days and I will put them into daycare 1 day...but by that time DC#2 will be 6.5 months so I feel little more comfortable (its the same place my DS goes to so I know all the women)

ETA-I dont get any maternity leave or FMLA as I work per diem, so any time off is out of our savings

Message edited 7/6/2009 3:45:48 PM.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

6 weeks maternity (saved sick leave)

going back to work

MIL is watching the baby.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'm going back approx 10 weeks after he is born...basically my return date is October 1st no matter when he arrives.
My sister/mom are watching him, but I am on a rotating schedule so hopefully we will have a lot more "home" time with him as opposed to doing daycare 5 days a week for 8 hours a day.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

taking about 17-18 weeks this includes the summer though as i am a teacher. not too bad but not the amount i wanted either! getting paid for about 6 weeks of that.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I plan on taking the full 12 weeks off for FMLA then my mother will be watching our son full time.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I will probably only be taking 3 weeks off (the same as I did with DS.) I own my own business and I don't have "staff" per se, just an assistant a couple of hours a week. She and my mom will teach my classes for 3 weeks and then I'll return to work. DS will be in preschool 3 mornings a week and my mom and MIL will watch both kids 2 afternoons a week while I work. That will only be for 3 months, give or take, before I'm off for the summer. I may think about hiring someone the following fall.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'm taking 10 weeks probably. I have a few weeks of sick/vaca time saved up that i'll be paid for when I go out but other than that it's all non-paid (FMLA).

DH works from home now and MIL already offered to watch the baby so we won't need daycare.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'm definitely taking 12 weeks (6 paid, 6 unpaid) and hopefully taking a leave of absence (unpaid) for a while after that (I'm a teacher).

As of now, we have no one to watch the baby, and I would prefer to be home with the baby rather than use day care right away.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'm taking 10 weeks paid leave (saved sick days). After that, the baby will be watched by DH 2 days, my grandmother 1 day, day care (possibly) 1 day, FIL 1 day... FIL wants to change his schedule so that he can take the baby for 2 days.. I pray this works out!

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'm taking 12 weeks paid leave (disability, banked sick and vacation). After that, I'll go back to work full time - 4 days in the office, 1 day from home.

I'm lucky in that DH's schedule is flexible - he's in the FDNY. My ILs also live in the same town and are retired (but, travel a lot) so they are going to help us. We're looking to do daycare part time as well.

Re: If you are planning on going back to work....

I'll be working p/t after 7 wks from home, back to work f/t at 12 wks. Our little guy will be going to daycare 4 days wk - DH is off on Fridays & will be home with him then.