This entry in the Pregnancy Decisions series is an interview with Michele, who I connected with on TwitterMoms. She’s the mother of twin boys, and also works full-time as an accountant. For any of you who are deciding whether to return to work after your baby is born, her story will be helpful.

1. What issues did you consider in deciding whether to return to work? 
Finances, my college investment (emotional, time, money, etc.), my sanity. My mom stayed at home and when I was getting ready to go back to work she gave me the greatest gift a mom could give…. She told me she sometimes regretted her decision to stay home and that she had a great job (before kids), and her kids grew up and moved on and she felt like she didn’t have anything of her own. She told me she thought I was making the right decision by going back to work. That was when I realized that whatever decision you make, to stay home or to go to work we all make sacrifices and the grass isn’t always greener. Do I sometimes regret going back to work, yes. But I also know that there was a good chance I would have had some regret if I had made the decision to stay home as well.
 
2. Did you make your decision before or after your child’s birth?
Before.
 
3. How long was your maternity leave, and was that set by you or by your employer?
12 weeks, yes it was set by my employer.
 
4. When did you make childcare arrangements, and what were your main considerations in choosing a provider?
I started calling around when I was pregnant, then happened to notice how much my mother made when she handed me her pay stub to write something down on. I told her I could pay her what I would pay daycare and it would be almost what she was making, if she wanted to babysit for me. After careful thought on both our parts (we didn’t want it to affect our relationship negatively if we didn’t agree on things), we decided to give it a try. It worked out wonderfully for both of us.
 
5. What have been the positive aspects of this decision for your family?
I have my work and family balance. My kids have a great bond with their grandmother. Also, my husband was laid off this year and since I have been promoted while working outside the home, our family hasn’t suffered any financial hardship due to his lay-off.
 
6. What are the challenges for a parent working outside of the home?
Trying to stay focused on work while wondering what your child is doing at home. Trying to keep up with the demands of both being a mom and an employee. Sometimes everything just doesn’t get done and it just has to wait until the next day.
 
7. What advice do you have for parents who have returned to work after the birth of a child?
Build a great support system, either family or daycare or community. Build a partnership with your spouse so he can step in at anytime with childcare or household responsibilities. Also, let go of the guilt as much as you can since guilt adds no value to your job as a mom or as an employee. If momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy. So stay positive and be happy with the decisions you make; your kids will pick up on this.  

8. How old are your children now?
Twin boys, age 5. They started kindergarten today and are happy, independent, loving, and well-behaved. I could not be happier with the decisions I’ve made and the boys are thriving.

Thank you so much, Michele! You’ve given us some great insight on returning to work after having children.

You may also want to consult The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Guide by Dr. Marjorie Greenfield. I haven’t read the book, but Dr. Greenfield was a guest on this very informative Pregtastic podcast about working during your pregnancy and returning to work post-baby.

If you went back to work outside of the home after your child’s birth, please share what you’ve learned. Any tips to smooth the path for new moms would be much appreciated!