Questions & Answers

Everyone is different and it totally depends on circumstances, some women feel like they need to work others don't, others don't have a choice and need the extra money.
I left school with no qualifications and the only jobs I could get wouldn't really cut the mustard, money wise luckily my partner has a really good job so I am able to be a stay at home mum and where I am from I get a top up of tax credits and for some reason I am better off not working than actually working :/ I know it doesnt make sense the system is all wrong, an I haven't sat on my mum for years, I have done a 2 year diploma in baking and cake decoration and a 1 year starter course in classroom assistant and a 1 year level 2 teaching, those times I was lucky enough to have my mum mind the kids on the days she was off work. like I say depends on circumstance and personal choice.

Are in you in a position to open your own home daycare, and take care of other children as well? I've been in home daycare for 2.5 years now. I'm taking 4 months off, then getting back into it!

I am really uncomfortable leaving my child with daycare. We would much rather take care of it ourselves. I know my fiancé is very against daycare but I just don't think we have any other option. I think if I get this second job (as in not returning to my current day job after baby is born) that that is what we'll do. That way I watch it during the day and he watches it for a few hours at night. I think we could live off of just his income, but he works construction and may be getting less hours in the winter, which is when I'm due. If that's the case we won't be able to afford daycare so I would have no choice but to stay home or get a night job. It's just frustrating I guess. I wish there were other options.

Unfortunately you really just have to look at what's best for your situation. Have you budgeted to see if you can afford living on one salary with a child?

I can only tell you what my DH and I are planning on doing. We both currently work full time. We do not want to put our child in daycare as we are strongly for raising our child at home, and don't want to have to pay someone else to watch our child. Once our boy is born, I am going to work part time, and remotely (from the house) a majority of the time. He will also work from home a few days a week to help/watch him when I need to go to the office. We plan on moving to a house with a smaller mortgage and paying off credit cards/car so I can stop working altogether and be a stay at home mom. This is important to both of us, and while we can't afford it right now, we will be working towards this in the next year and half or so.