How long did you take off work when you had YOUR baby?

[Tippy Toes]

Hi All

Just wondering how long you took off for maternity leave when you had a baby?

Did you take the months off or return after just a few weeks?

If you returned quickly how did you manage to child mind with your newborn? Do you/ did you regret taking little time off with your baby?

I would love to have another baby, have wanted another for quite some time but worried about my childminding job. Don't want to lose any of the children I have and don't want to let any parents down. Also worried that everyone would leave if I was pregnant.

And if you gave notice at the end of your pregnancy where you worried you would not fill the space when you needed to return to working?

[loocyloo]

i took about 6 weeks off when i had DD, i had a couple of afterschoolies, girls, who were dreams and no trouble after school, and i liked having the routine of the school run to get into, as DD would have to fit into that routine soon enough ! it was for about 1/2 a term, then it wa sthe summer holidays.

then in the september i took on a full time baby a couple of months older than DD ... it was dreadful! this babe had NEVER been put down, NEVER left while anyone did anything, CUDDLED to sleep and didn't settle with me. DD was really laid back, but i do feel she missed out a bit, as i spent so long with the mindee.

a couple of children left me ... for some reason i didn't think about a variation till it was too late! one after schoolie left, the rest found alternative care for a few weeks, my other LOs mum was on maternity leave too, and so i didn't hold a place, but when it came to it, and she needed care,i could help !

oh and one family left as they were moving away, and i took the child ona short term contract ... but bless, i was 7 1/2 mths PG and mum asked if i could another couple of months and i said i could do a month, as due in 6 weeks, and she said she hadn't realised, she just thought i was 'pleasantly plump'

[snufflepuff]

I've not had my baby yet, I'm due in July, but I'm taking off as long as possible.

I currently have 4 mindees from 3 different families....one is leaving me at the end of this month to use her funded hours regardless, this was arranged before I got pregnant. The second child is going to the pre-school where Mum works when I stop minding at the end of May. My 2 sibling mindees already go to nursery one day a week so they are just increasing their hours there- Mum has mentioned coming back when the oldest is in school and that they plan on having more children and would want me to have them too.

If I come back to minding it won't be until Sept 2013 when DS starts school, otherwise I can only have one EYFS mindee, and don't want to do school runs until I am having to take my own DS anyway... so my income would be very limited.

[cara1235]

I worked upto 36 weeks and kept after schoolies until 38 weeks, went back to work when dd was 6weeks but only had after schoolies at that point then at 8 weeks went back fulltime.
I found it really easy to work aswell as look after newborn was nice to be at home and have definately noticed the difference in my dd and ds because i went back to work and he went to nursery when he was 6 months old really regret that and wish i had found a childminder but nevermind atleast my ds got the best option of me at home

[Hayley102]

I worked up to 38 weeks but only had my dd (under 2y) and one schoolie and he was really good. He went to a friend while I was on maternity leave. I went back after a term (I had my baby at Christmas and went back to school runs after Easter holiday) I took on more school children in September and didnt take on any los until ds was 14 months old. It was hard work but everyone seemed to be happy!

[mrs_scottydog]

I'm currently on maternity leave. I'm not thinking of starting minding again until at least November when DD is 1. I have no idea how people manage going back to work so soon as feel I've been struggling a bit. I am lucky though that I don't need to go back to work at the moment and can take as long as I need before starting up again. Hx

[Tatjana]

I worked up until 2 weeks of due date, but he arrived earlier than that! I went back to minding when he was 17 mths, so glad we had all that time together.

[buzzy bee]

I am due in September and I think I'm going to have to continue working. I will take 3/4 weeks off (more if I have to have a c-section) and I'm just hoping that my families will put up with me and not leave me!

I have a 2-yr-old DS so I think it will be nice for him to have his friends still (and he is definitely lower maintenance when there are other children around which will give me a bit more time with the baby).

I'm sad that I won't be able to have maternity leave as I had about 9 months with DS and it was great, but we couldn't cope financially if I stopped working, and then I think I'd have the worry hanging over me that I wouldn't find children when I decided to start working again like you said.

Having said that, a couple of my children will be leaving anyway due to starting school / leaving primary school, so I won't be so busy. I think I'll give notice to one of my little ones and hopefully the others will want to stay!!

[kindredspirits]

2 weeks - worked up to delivery and returned after 2 weeks but i only work 8.45-1.45 4 days a week. i wouldn't have wanted to return full time as originally planned. baby is now 12 weeks old and fits into my working day perfectly as she sleeps most of the morning!

[Wendybird]

I started up when DS2 was nearly 3 months. I had a full year off with DS1. It has been great and I don't think DS2 is suffering any more than any other 2nd child. I can't do all the baby classes I did with DS1, but that would not have been possible anyway as this time I've got a toddler too! I would not have been able to do it though if DS2 had not been such an easy baby. Would have been impossible with DS1 who had major sleep issues and was very easily overwhelmed when he was a baby (very easy-going, great sleeping toddler now though ). I think it really depends on the temperament of your baby if I'm honest.

[jumpinjen]

I had the whole nine months! Just gone back to work in Feb (v hard to go back after so long being a mummy only!)

Jen x

[littletreasures]

When I was expecting my 3rd baby and was minding, the child I was looking after was term-time only. He and my eldest (who was at Nursery) broke up for Easter on the Friday. I had the baby on the following Wednesday and was back working 10 days later.

He was 8 and was an absolute joy and adored the baby. I could leave him rocking the baby in the baby chair while I prepared tea. She also adored him when she was bigger.

[RachelE]

Mine worked out so well.

Before I was pregnant I had ds age 4, B age 3 and E age 2.
B decided to move house as they wanted too, but didnt want to leave me! and E got a temp CM.

I stopped working in april, dd was born in May and I started back in Sept - as ds started school and I got E back - and also gained more mindees during the day.

I felt that was an adequate amount of time to have off - time with ds before he stared school and time with dd as a newborn.

It fell well, despite it taking a year to conceive and then me having cancer treatment afterwards!

Rachel x

[Roseolivia]

When i had Alfie most of mine were due to leave anyway (maternity, new school, different school to one Rose was going to be starting). I finished 6wks before he was due (insurance up, decided not worth reinsuring), returned when he was 9mth with a schoolie who i only had 2 days in the holiday and 2 nights afterschool. I didn't get any other children until Jan 2012 and Alfie was then 14mth old. I'm glad i had so much time off to spend with Alfie and Rose before she started full time school, we spent a lot of time in our caravan (dp was working away so we went to visit).

[Tippy Toes]

Thanks for your replies, you have been very helpful.

[singingcactus]

I can't remember exactly but I think my boy was around 8-10 months old when I took on new kids, I had stopped in the October and he was born December.
I let all my kids go though, so I had no pressure to return early. They all found new care, and when I started back it was with a whole new set of kids (being military all the old ones had been posted on anyway).

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I had my DD on the Monday, came home on Friday and started again on the Monday. I only had one child and he was on shift so it was easy to accomodate.