Working Moms Support Thread

[Brooke]

Hi everyone.

This thread is for all the working moms (or dads) who are having trouble getting back into the swing of things.

I'm still having alot of trouble focussing and concentrating at work. Part of it is because I don't like my job and part is because I have so many things at home that I need to do that the list consumes me while I'm sitting at my desk.

Please share your stories here so we all don't feel so alone anymore.

What do you do/Where do you work?

How many hours a week do you work?

Do you travel for work?

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?

Who watches your child/children while you work?

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?

And just talk about anything you need to talk about. We can support each other.

[Lette]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a plastics engineer in the technical service department ( I troubleshoot, make material recommendations and investigate quality material complaints :dead: , along with a whole bunch of other stuff ) I work at the office which is about a 35 to 40 minute commute from home .... and growing as the areas keep getting more industrialized with more traffic lights. :rolleyes:

How many hours a week do you work? 40 ... I make SURE I leave at 4:30 on the dot!

Do you travel for work? No thank god! I got lucky and my position changed ever so slightly so I don't have to travel any more. I used to go on overnight trips about 2x a month or so for 1 or 2 nights. I could never do that now!

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No

Who watches your child/children while you work? 3 days at daycare and 2 days at my home with MIL & FIL.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Oh, I'm definitely done! I think 2 is enough craziness for a working mom.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
My problem is I have a hard time concentrating on the work that needs to be done. I like my job but I tend to procrastinate if I have a difficult case or if I have to contact lots of other coworkers for answers. I also like to play on the net waaaay too much. I'm addicted and thus my work suffers.

Have not told my boss, I skate through okay most of the time. :blush: But sometimes I'll go home and work things will be on my mind about what I should have done that day and how things are piling up.

My parent company is GE. A lot of the women here could not believe they were highly ranked for the working woman. We've only been under GE for less than 2 years now and all of the GE imported women seem to be so engrossed in their career that they have NO children. GE wants you to work, work, work! :rolleyes: Yet they claim it's a great place. Yeah, maybe for some women, but NOT mothers. I could NEVER ask to work part time or job share (which is my dream!) Forget IT!

[kim]

What do you do/Where do you work?
i'm a web/server admin at a enterprise data storage company.

How many hours a week do you work?
40

Do you travel for work?
nope!

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
no

Who watches your child/children while you work?
i have in-home daycare

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
pg with #2. even if i wasn't ancient, i wouldn't have 3 because i couldn't afford the daycare, and i have to work to maintain our lifestyle.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
i don't have any issues (besides not currently having a major project :rolleyes: and yes i have told my boss), i have had good bosses in the 9 yrs i've been here. leaving early, taking a day off for family issues etc. hasn't been a problem at all with them. this will vary depending on your manager.
the company is NOT overall mommy-friendly at all. although we have onsite daycare, it costs a small fortune. i didn't bf, but i know there are no places to pump here (i see a girl in the ladies room all the time with her pumping stuff). going part time is never an option here, if you ask to go pt after your maternity leave you'll probably be let go. (of course they'll find a different excuse) ditto for working from home. generally it's not allowed unless you have a very lenient boss.

the maternity leave is covered under our std policy and is paid at 100% of salary for 8wks vag, 10wks section. this is the only good thing they have for women.

[bunybomb]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I am a project manager for an audio and web conferencing company.

How many hours a week do you work?
generally it's 40 hours, but I have a lot of flexibility so if I need to work from home or take time off I have that luxury. But during big projects I could work 50-60 hours a week.

Do you travel for work?
Yes, occassionally.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
No

Who watches your child/children while you work?
I have a school-ager and a toddler. After school my daughter stays at the neighbor's and my toddler is at a terrific in-home daycare full time.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
We aren't going to have anymore children, but it would influence my decision since we couldn't afford to have another infant in daycare.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
Thankfully I have a very supportive boss who also has a toddler. When I have a crisis I feel comfortable talking to her about it because there is a level of understanding. My company is family friendly overall. I was able to work part-time during Alex's first year. I love my job so it's my life outside of work that tends to get stressful. Sometimes I come to work to escape reality, so to speak.

[Brooke]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a Fire Protection Engineer for a fire science and engineering company. I do lots of things ranging from code work to sprinkler design to full-scale fire testing.

How many hours a week do you work? 40, unless I absolutely need to stay to meet a deadline.

Do you travel for work? I used to, and my company would like me to. But I made it clear that I was not interested in travelling after Rebekah was born. In response, I didn't get a raise that year.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? Yes, I was diagnosed with PPD when Rebekah was 4 months old. I was on Celexa for one year but I went off it because I was falling asleep at my desk. I had to choose between being awake and depressed, or happy and asleep. Awake won. So now I'm dealing with some of the depression again.

Who watches your child/children while you work? My mom at her house. But Rebekah starts daycare 2 days a week next week.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Yes. I work with very few women engineers and I was the first to have a baby. The men here aren't really interested in pregnancy so I felt like I had to hide it or minimize it as much as possible. I hated being pregnant because I felt embarrassed to come to work. I'm dreading going through that again.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
I have alot of the same problems Lette posted. I can't focus, I procrastinate, I do the minimum I need to to get by, and I am easily distracted by the internet and other things.

I did tell my boss and he was semi-supportive. As much as he could be. At first he told me to take off as much time as I needed, unpaid if I didn't have any time left. And we've talked about my issues at my yearly reviews. But I just can't seem to force myself to get past them.

My company is not mommy-friendly. The later you stay, the better it looks. So me leaving at 5pm every day looks bad, even though I might have gotten here at 8am and put in more than 8 hrs. Also, all the men here have SAHWs who are all raising 2-3 kids each. So the men don't have to worry about kids at daycare, cleaning the house, making dinner, doing laundry. Their wives to all of that. And here I am, trying to be the employee AND the wife and they just don't understand.

My company does not have short-term disability or maternity leave, just FMLA and whatever sick and vacation time is saved. I could have pumped in my office (I have a locking door) but people like the admin staff have cubies so they would have to pump in the ladies room or an unused office (there is only one empty office right now).

[Karen&Tess]

What do you do/Where do you work? I am the assistant compliance director for an investment banking firm. Basically, I try to make sure we are in compliance with rules and regs and properly licensed.

How many hours a week do you work? 37.5-40 depending on if I go out to lunch or not.

Do you travel for work? Not really. Should I? Probably. My boss would like me to visit our branch offices so he doesn't have to. I used to enjoy it. I am planning to short trips in April. Hopefully I can put off anything else.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No.

Who watches your child/children while you work? My parents.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? I don't think so. Our decision not to have more children had to do with a lot of other issues.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? I would say that my company is a family friendly employer. I have been to meetings where the CEO talks about going to math club that morning with one of his sons. I have felt genuine interest during and following my pregnancy. Like several of you, my problem is motivation. There are so many things that I could be doing. But I tend to only focus on the things that I have to do. Whenever I start on something else, I tend to look over at the computer. Then I go to the boards or to Amazon to find a book for Tess or someplace else to look for a toy for Tess. My mind just wanders. I honestly think my boss doesn't have a clue. :dunno:

[Cecily]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I am an Electrical/ Computer Software Engineer. I work for a military contractor in Fort Rucker, AL.

How many hours a week do you work?
I have an alternative work schedule, where I work 9 hour days 9 days, and one 8 hour day. So, one week I work 4 9 hour days and 1 8 hour day. The next week, I have Monday off, and work 4 9 hour days.

Do you travel for work?
I think we all know the answer to this :lol: I travel WAY too much!

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
Yes. My ob/ nurse practitioner tried me on several different meds which really didn't help. I was having severe anxiety attacks, anxiety, and paranoia, as well as severe and frequent migraines. Finally, my ob referred me to the psychiatrist, who finally got my meds right, and also figured out that part of my problem was that I wasn't getting into deep sleep. So, I take a lot of medicine right now, but I feel a million times better!

Who watches your child/children while you work?
My mom. She stays with my dh on the Mondays I have to work, because Monday is one of his days off.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
Absolutely! I know that I can't handle having any more children. The pg was physically traumatic, and I was sick for much of my pg. So, I can't imagine working through another pg. Also, I don't see myself coming off the meds any time soon.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
The afore-mentioned depression/ anxiety, and the meds I take to control them is one of my problems. I get tired really easily because of the meds. I also feel so sleepy most mornings that I don't actually get anything done until mid-morning, even though I am in the office by 7- 7:15.

Also, I have the same addiction to the internet that some of you have mentioned. I do all of my work on the pc, and a lot of it is on the internet. So, it is really tempting not to come over here all the time. I try to limit my time, but it is really hard. Also, since I work on an Army installation, I am constantly worried that my usage is being monitored, and the people who would be monitoring it are my 2 direct bosses/ supervisors. So, in that sense, it is really a relief for me to be on the road. At least I don't have that anxiety to deal with. While I am on the road, I just have to deal with leaving my baby :tear:

Also, I feel really guilty because I requested switching from a desk job (no travel) to the one I have now, knowing that I would be on the road a little bit. I was told I would probably travel about 1 week/ quarter... HA! But, I absolutely HATED my old job. I was doing computer programming all day every day, and I never talked to anyone. I just came in and sat at my desk coding all day. It was aweful. I know some people love not having to interact with people, but I need interaction. So, when this came up, I took it.

When the anxiety and migraines got really bad, I did have a sit-down with my boss. He was pretty understanding, but they still expect me to count my time and get every little minute in. I do a lot of comp time because of my travel, and I think he sometimes questions it... But, too bad! I sometimes have to leave on Sunday and/ or get back on Saturday... so, I just work it out.

The company I work for is not even what I would consider employee friendly. They act like they really care about you to your face, but then will screw you to your back. But, the pay is great, especially for this area.

I have to say, I really feel fortunate. My dh is awesome. He pretty much handles cleaning the house and doing the dishes. He is the one that gets Lily ready each morning and drops her off at my mom's. He has really been understanding of my depression/ anxiety/ weight gain/ loss of sex drive. And, my mom feeds me dinner when I pick Lily up in the evening.

[LisaE]

What do you do/Where do you work? I am the receptionist at a Graphic Design company. We are a pretty big firm with a few MAJOR clients.

How many hours a week do you work? 40, never any overtime.

Do you travel for work? Nope

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? none

Who watches your child/children while you work? My grandma and my mom (although my mom works part time, so she is gone most of the day)

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? The fact that I HAVE to work definitely influences our decision. If I were to get pregnant again we would have to pay for day care and we wouldn't be able to afford it, so we are not getting pregnant again any time soon (if ever).

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? Besides being in a position where I HAVE to be here on time every day and I can't really leave early or in an emergancy situation until I have found someone to cover the phones, its not too bad. The company is pretty child friendly and I have even had Jude here for a company party and kept him here the rest of the day with me at my desk.

My real problem is with my mom and grandma. They think Jude is theirs and for a while it was really putting a strain on our relationship and my self esteem as a mom. I don't know if its because I am basically the only one in my huge family to actually have to go back to work but they really seemed to have a problem with it. I know they think I am a bad mom. Or at least they act like it. They want to have all the say in what Jude gets to do. They want me to follow all their standards and think that anything I say is wrong. Lately things have been a bit better, because I finally stood up to my mom and told her I was tired of her hurting my feelings. I was thinking of putting him in day care, but I only pay my grandma $50 a week and there is no way we could afford to pay the $150 a week that most day cares out here charge.

[miacat]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work for state government and am a reporting and evaluation specialist for land conservation programs.

How many hours a week do you work? I work 40 hrs each week.

Do you travel for work? Occasionally. I do not travel overnight very often.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No.

Who watches your child/children while you work? My son goes to a daycare center 1 block from my office building. He loves it and so do I!

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Not really. We plan to have two kids, if possible. We are waiting right now more because I hated being pregnant than because of my working.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? I don't really have any problems at work. My job is fairly flexible and I can get off or work different hours if I need to. I have a lot of accrued sick time and a lot of vacation time. My direct supervisor is very supportive. The only thing I wish is that I could go down to 80% time, just to get a little more breathing room, but the bosses above my boss don't really support part-time work. Overall, I am a very happy working mom, and I think it's because I really enjoy working and didn't enjoy being at home, I have a short commute, I have a flexible job, and I have a husband who has similar working conditions and who also does his share at home, which it seems like a lot of working women do not have. I feel for those on these boards who are working and wish they were at home, which is not my case.

[Wendy]

What do you do/Where do you work? I am a litigation paralegal for a small domestic relations law firm.

How many hours a week do you work? Depends on the week and what we have going on. I can usually get out the door by 5:00 but there are many times that I am here by 7:00 so that we can get to court in another county on time.

Do you travel for work? Not overnight

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? Yes. I took Wellbutrin for about 3 weeks....hated the way it made me feel so I stopped.

Who watches your child/children while you work? My MIL

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Yes....being a woring mom is very hard just from a time management stand point. I feel as if I have to spend every minute that I am not at the office with Abby and if I dont I feel guilty. I am just now getting to the point that I have any kind of a life for me outside of her and I am enjoying it. I dont feel as guilty because she is older now and she knows who I am and knows that when I tell her that I am leaving I always come back. I dread having to go through the first 2 years again. I am in a catch-22. If I dont spend every second with another one then I am not giving her/him what I gave to Abby....and if I do then I go back to having no life and being so exhausted that I have not mental energy for anything else.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?

You really dont want me to list the problems I have at work.....lol Boss supportive....to my face yes....behind my back he is a man that didnt raise his children (his ex wife was home) and therefore he has no idea the pressure of trying to schedule a doctors appointment or a dealing with a sick child. I also dont have any set vacation or sick days....so while that is good on the one hand, it is bad on the other because I always feel guilty for taking time off. I cant justify it by saying....well I have 14 vacation days and I have only used one etc.

[Brooke]

I have a flexible job, and I have a husband who has similar working conditions and who also does his share at home, which it seems like a lot of working women do not have. I feel for those on these boards who are working and wish they were at home, which is not my case.
I think this is part of my problem. My DH has a very messed up work schedule and I can't depend on him to pick Rebekah up. Like last night - he was supposed to pick her up so I could meet Cecily. He said he'd be there at 5:30 but he got stuck at the office and then stuck in traffic and he didn't pick her up until after 6:15pm. If she'd been at daycare, that would have cost us $40. Tonight, he has a meeting at 3pm (that was just scheduled at noon) so he won't be home until after 6:30pm because of traffic.

Some days he gets up at 4am, some days 6am, somedays in between, depending on where he has to go. So he can't take her to daycare because he leaves too early. He has the horrible habit of deciding after the alarm has gone off that he wants to stay in bed and get up an hour later. I won't let him do that anymore. If he's going to change his mind like that, he can go sleep in the basement. It's bad enough that it takes him 30 minutes to actually get out of bed after his alarm wakes ME up. So I also have a very interrupted sleep pattern.

He also gives me a fit when I ask him to cook, he says he doesn't know what I want. If he agrees to cook, we have hot dogs. Every time. He will do the laundry but not on a regular basis. He cannot grocery shop or even make a list of what we need. He cannot put away the groceries because he doesn't remember where things go. He also will wait until 2-3 days of dishes pile up before washing them (we don't have a dishwasher).

So, at home, I'm responsible for everything relating to Rebekah unless I make special arrangements with him, cooking all meals, doing the laundry or telling him to go it, and planning for and doing the shopping. Oh, I also pay the bills.

I desperately want to stay home so I can get these things done but I can't stay home because we need the money (I make 1/2 of our income).

[Dawnie]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I'm an office manager for an electrical contractor. I'm responsible for all the job tracking, invoicing, payroll, accounts payable, receivables, bank reconciliations, union reports, secretarial duties (typing quotes, etc.) and whatever else they decide to give me. There's only three of us in the office and very laid back.

How many hours a week do you work? 40

Do you travel for work? No.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
I had some PPD after Victoria and Alex but didn't require meds for it. I saw a therapist last year and he said he didn't see a need for it - yet. After I had Lauren I felt better than I had in a long time!

Who watches your child/children while you work?
A friend and fellow EMT from the ambulance corps. She doesn't really have any office skills and has been doing odd jobs so she can stay home with her daughter. She loves my kids and offered to watch them for me at a discount. So we pay her and help her out with $$ and she helps us by giving us a great price on childcare.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
Not at all.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
I work for a family owned and run business so they are family/mommy friendly and pretty good about being supportive and giving me the time I need to take care of things with the kids.

My main problem with this job can be read in this vent thread (http://www.onceuponalife.com/showthread.php?t=2903) from earlier today. My other problem with this job is that I am bored out of my skull because business has been so slow over the last year and a half. Even before then there wasn't a ton of stuff to do but I was definitely busier. I basically get paid to come to work and play on the internet all day long. It was okay for a little while but I'm just plain bored now. I hate coming to work just to sit here, listen to their crap and play games all the while knowing I could be at home doing the laundry or cleaning something.

I've been searching for a new job but I make good money here and can't afford to take a pay cut right now - not with three children to support.

[miacat]

Brooke -- can you and your husband carve out some time to organize your life a little bit? For example, my husband and I plan our meals out --at a minimum we plan a week's worth, and sometimes we plan for entire month. This way, your husband would know what you wanted for dinner because it would already be planned. It really cuts down on the after work chaos. It also helps with the grocery shopping --the list is already partially made for you. I understand his unpredictable work schedule is a fact of life, but some of the things you mentioned there is no reason a grown man should not be expected to help do. For example, could you agree to a rotating schedule where one of you cooks and the other one cleans up/washes dishes? Or agree to one person does the grocery shopping the other puts the groceries away? These are just a few suggestions I have, not knowing your entire situation.

[Darcy]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I'm a senior editor for a publishing company. I just came back to work last week. :(

How many hours a week do you work?
40.

Do you travel for work?
Nope.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
Nope.

Who watches your child/children while you work?
We're very lucky to have a daycare affiliated with DH's company. Riley is about 20 feet from him at the office.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
Sort of. We're planning to move next year and we need 2 salaries to afford a nice house. But when we have #2, I'd really like to be able to stay home or get a PT job in the evenings.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
Work comes second now that Riley's here. My boss has been fine with things--he has a 2-year-old. But I hate my commute (between 45 minutes and an hour) and I just wish I could stay at home with Riley. The nice thing is that I "work at home" on Mondays for a year, so at least I have Mondays with her. Pumping at work has been fine--I made a stink about it before I had Riley that I would NOT pump in a bathroom, and since DH is in HR, we found that Illinois has a law stating they have to provide me with a room other than a bathroom. So now I have access to an office and my own key. :)

But the maternity leave policy here stinks. I was forced to use all my vacation time during my leave, and as a result, I have NONE for the rest of the year. In addition, I have to pay the company back for my health insurance during the weeks I wasn't getting paid. And not to mention my HR department lost my LTD claim form while I was gone. :rolleyes: I could go on and on...

DH's company is the one that's been wonderful. His company is ranked as one of the Top 100 for working moms, but they've ben great toward him. We get $1,666.67 a year from his company for daycare, and having the facility on-site has been great. He goes over there at lunch and gives her a bottle every day. I guess if I can't be there, it's nice that he can.

[Brooke]

Brooke -- can you and your husband carve out some time to organize your life a little bit? For example, my husband and I plan our meals out --at a minimum we plan a week's worth, and sometimes we plan for entire month. This way, your husband would know what you wanted for dinner because it would already be planned. It really cuts down on the after work chaos. It also helps with the grocery shopping --the list is already partially made for you. I understand his unpredictable work schedule is a fact of life, but some of the things you mentioned there is no reason a grown man should not be expected to help do. For example, could you agree to a rotating schedule where one of you cooks and the other one cleans up/washes dishes? Or agree to one person does the grocery shopping the other puts the groceries away? These are just a few suggestions I have, not knowing your entire situation.
I tried to get him to plan meals with me and he could never come up with a suggestion for what to have each day. So that's my job, too. I try to plan meals at least a week in advance, and I'm trying really hard to use my crock pot alot. I can put dinner together at night and then just start it before I leave for work. But if I say "make chicken" he literally puts chicken in a pan and cooks it. No seasoning, no veggies, no nothing. Chicken. He needs very explicit directions or we get hot dogs.

We have the "I cook, you clean" rule. But it just gets put off. And if he puts the groceries away, everything ends up on the top shelf of the fridge or in the place where it doesn't normally go. We lived in our old house for 3 years and he never knew where we kept the toilet paper. He would have to ask me every time he needed some. I don't know why he's like that. I think it's because his mom did everything for him because she's the perfect SAHM.

I have tried and tried to change him. But it still comes down to me either doing it myself or spending more time giving him very explicit directions on what needs to be done. The only thing he remembers to do is take out the trash and he usually forgets to empty my bathroom and bedroom trash cans, even though I've been reminding him for 1.5 years now.

[bunybomb]

But if I say "make chicken" he literally puts chicken in a pan and cooks it. No seasoning, no veggies, no nothing. Chicken. He needs very explicit directions or we get hot dogs.
:lol2: I'm not making light of the situation, but my DH is the same way. When he decides to cook dinner, it's frozen pizza. If I said make chicken, it would be KFC. Thank God for PB&J when he's with the kids or they would starve.

I know it's not easy to communicate this homelife stuff, especially when our DH's moms babied them so much, they can't do anything for themselves. But it must be done for our (wives) sanity. When I ask for my DHs help, I hear about how long of a day he had, or how stressful his day was, blah, blah or I'm called a NAG! for even suggesting that he helps. I've been seeing a life coach (fancy word for therapist) for 8 weeks now just to shift my paradigm and persuade him to help out with his own home and children. It's definitely getting better because I'm changing my attitude and I'm the only one I can control.

Trying to change him will only create more frustration on your part. I've tried and that's why I'm seeing a life coach. I'm learning ways to get his buy-in to help out, make him think it's his idea and basic manipulation in a good way! :rotflmao:

[~Tara~]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I'm a manager for project operations for a pharmaceutical outsourcing company.

How many hours a week do you work?
40

Do you travel for work?
once a year, if that.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
I had a major hormonal drop after Abby was born but thankfully took the estrogen patch a week after delivery and was MUCH better. That was taken for 3 months until I got my first AF.


Who watches your child/children while you work?
Daycare facility.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
Yeah I just calculated how much $$$ it would be to have Abby and an infant in daycare. It would be $23,000!!!!!!!!!!!!! That number did NOT make me happy. We will definitely be waiting awhile.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
i don't have any major issues. My dept was very slow when I came back from mat leave 15 weeks after delivery. I was able to pump 2-3 times a day - they gave me a master key so I could go into empty offices to pump!
My old boss and my current boss are very family oriented so there was never any issue with taking time off, leaving early, doc appts, etc. I KNOW I am spoiled there - I can take 2 hour lunches, exercise, get all my errands done, go food shopping at lunch....(of course my work is the main priority but if nothing is pressing then I can take a longer lunch). The new company president is very receptive to making our company a Top 100 Working Mother company ( I gave him the article). Our parent company - well - they are a very conservative - male oriented company. Basically the whole pharmaceutical industry is.

If I had a bad boss (which I had when I first started here) I would definitely NOT be able to work and have a family. I also work with a great team - all women 3 of them are mothers. (all my age)

I must admit that my work product and motivation - well that is definitely not the same since I have returned from mat leave. Yeah I do good work (ok I am anal retentive so my "good" work is probably above average...but I am very hard on myself) but do I go above and beyond like i used to....HELL NO. I dont want to be a Director or a VP. My priority is to do good work, work9-5, have a good time while I am at work (i love what I do - which is the best feeling ever), make a difference while I am there, and collect a decent paycheck. I am not climbing the corporate ladder or playing office politics.

I do not multitask as well as I used to, probably because 75% of my brain is always thinking of ABby and the things I have to do at home. heh. But I tell ya, it is so hard to fit it all in. I have given up on having a super clean house (Yes it is organized and semi - neat, but the floors...well, we wont get into that...heh) and I think I am ok with it now. I used to pay for a house cleaner, but we got rid of it when DH lost his job and never hired her back. That might be something that we get back soon.

DH is SO helpful on weekends (since he works late) he cleans and helps with ABby so I can cook (I freeze a lot for dinners during the week). Abby goes to bed at 7pm so I have the evening to do my own thing.

I;ve basically simplified a lot in my life to make working motherhood "work" for us.

ANd i have also rambled on ......hah.

[Alyssa]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I'm in marketing for a software company

How many hours a week do you work?
50ish? I try to be in by 8:30 and leave by 5:45 - but I often log on for a while after the boys are asleep

Do you travel for work?
sometimes - maybe 3-4 times a year

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
no

Who watches your child/children while you work?
DH - Aidan goes to "school" 2 mornings and my mom often takes them for a while on Friday's - DH is often gone working at night too, which adds another twist

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
not really - it didn't affect my decision to go from 1 to 2...it does make me want to go to 3 sooner so that DH can go back to work sooner than later though

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
I don't think my problems at work are totally mommy-related...unless you count my UB/OUAL addiction. I think I'd get bored and distracted regardless.

My direct supervisor has a daughter who's 5 and another who is 2 days older than Aidan - and the other senior people in my group have kids under 7. So there is a lot of understanding if I need to work from home, etc. b/c of the kids...or b/c of my "daycare" situation with DH


THAT SAID...I am glad this thread is here. I struggle with my working moms thoughts a lot...include guilt over not feeling more guilty! I know in my heart I'd be a little bored at home and that I prefer to work...but that makes me feel bad too.

[Brooke]

Abby goes to bed at 7pm so I have the evening to do my own thing.

This is another thing that hurts my situation. I'm very lucky if Rebekah goes to bed by 9:30 or 10pm. And by then, I'm too exhausted to do anything I need to do.

Last night was the perfect example of my messed up sleep.

9:30pm - Rebekah in bed
11pm - me and DH in bed.
2:45am - Rebekah up until 3:10am
4am - DH's alarm goes off
4:30am - DH gets up
5am - DH comes back into bedroom because he can't find his wallet
6:30am - Dogs want to go outside
7:15am - my alarm goes off and I sleep through it until 7:40am.

[bunkie68]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I'm an attorney, working as a case development analyst for a major insurance company. My company is a little tiny chunk of the parent company, and we help our member agents educate their clients on estate and business planning issues. My office is about 45 miles from my home, and the drive takes me about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes on good traffic days (has taken me as long as 2 hours and 20 minutes when there was a big wreck on the freeway).

How many hours a week do you work?
37.5 to 42.5, depending on whether I take a lunch hour or not.

Do you travel for work?
Hell, no. Good luck to 'em if they ever try to make me.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?
No

Who watches your child/children while you work?
Julian is in daycare close to our home.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?
It does to some extent. I know how hectic it is trying to keep up with work and family now, and I really can't imagine having an infant to add to the screaming insanity that is my life. I have a long commute that takes a lot away from me in terms of both time and energy. If I worked closer to home, it might be different. Finances are also a big consideration, so maybe if I had a job that paid better (don't be confused by the law license, this is NOT a high-paying job! :lol: ), I might think more seriously about having another child. Right now the cost of two in daycare would be prohibitive. Of course, that's not even getting into the other things going on in my life that have nothing to do with work that make another child a real bad idea right now.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
I could just copy Lette's post! :lol: I'm distracted (but I think that's due to all the other stuff going on in my personal life), I procrastinate if I have a problem that requires me to seek outside help or if I have a case that's unusual/complicated/has issues outside the ordinary stuff we see. I goof around on the Net way too much for my own good (I think that gets back to the distraction resulting from my personal issues). I've told my supervisor about what's going on in my personal life, but I think I'm still managing to stay in the middle of the pack as far as production goes. A bit off from my last couple of years, which have been good, but since he knows I'm dealing with a lot of crap right now (outside of being a working mother), I think he'll cut me some slack. He knows I'm a good employee and will bounce back eventually, and he's said that his philosophy is that if you support an employee through the rough times, they'll end up a happier and more loyal employee when things improve because the company stuck by them.

Our parent company is New York Life Insurance Company, which is theoretically family-friendly - they've made the Working Mother Top 100 Family-Friendly Companies for at least the last two years. Maybe the Home Office is better, but here, I don't see it all that much. My supervisor does let me take off early or come in late if Julian has appointments, which is nice - I don't have to take vacation time or make up the hours minute for minute. But pumping? Forget it, not here. (Not that it much mattered, since BF'ing didn't work out for me anyway, but it would have been nice to have the option if I were BF'ing.) I have a window by the door to my office, floor to ceiling, so I couldn't have pumped in here unless I'd found a way to cover that up. I would have had to use the public restroom or my car. No way would our CEO have created any kind of pumping room. Maternity leave - the company provides for salary continuation for any kind of leave needed. Your salary continuation is based on your length of service, and you can use up to 8 weeks of salary continuation (if you have that much available to you) as maternity leave. You get 10 weeks for a c-section, but only if you have 10 weeks total salary continuation available to you (I tried to get the extra two weeks for my c-section, and they told me so sorry, you're out of luck). I'd been here for three years when Julian was born, so I had six weeks of salary continuation/paid maternity leave. But had I taken any sick days during the previous twelve months, the sick days I'd taken would have been subtracted from my available salary continuation. (So I dragged booty in to work feeling like hammered crap more than once during my pregnancy - didn't want to lose any of those few precious weeks I had.) I had three weeks' accrued vacation that I was able to use, so that gave me nine weeks total. My doc put me on bedrest three weeks before Julian was born, and my maternity leave started then - we don't have any kind of short-term disability that would have covered those three weeks otherwise. So I got six weeks off after Julian's birth. Doesn't seem like a lot to me, but I reckon it's at least a little better than what some people get. We can take up to 12 weeks total, with any time not covered by salary continuation taken as unpaid leave under FMLA. I couldn't afford to miss three weeks without pay, so I went back to work when Julian was six weeks old. The company also allows you to take up to six months child care leave, all unpaid. Nice to have that option if you can afford it (we couldn't, since I'm the main breadwinner).

Our company is considered family-friendly at least in part because of the number of high-ranking women we have. Well, there may be plenty of them at the Home Office, but there aren't any here. I think the only female manager we have is in charge of our production staff. There are no women managers in the case development or special cases units, and none of the female attorneys are in managerial positions, at least not in our little chunk of the company. Here, there is no option to work part-time or from home (they tried it once, with two women who had children shortly after I started here - they weren't pleased with the results, and I don't think that will ever be allowed again), and flex time means you can work from 8:00 to 4:30 instead of the standard 8:30 to 5:00. Woo hoo, big difference. You work a regular schedule or find someplace else, essentially. And no way could I bring Julian with me if he couldn't go to daycare for some reason. I'd have to take a vacation day or use one of my (very limited - 4 sick "events" in any given 12-month period [not based on a calendar year], up to 7 days total, and it's use them or lose them - no accrual) sick days.

Brooke, my husband sounds a lot like yours. (In some ways, it will be a relief when he moves out - then I'll know there's no one to rely on but myself, and he won't be there for me to get resentful at when I feel like he isn't pulling his weight.) If he were in charge of dinner, we'd have cereal or takeout pizza, maybe Jack in the Box. He's constantly asking me to do things that he's perfectly capable of doing but just doesn't want to do. (I'm working on telling him "no, do it yourself" more often - one reason I'm in counseling right now!) He won't even pick up after himself - Coke cans stay where he finished off the Coke, he'll eat cereal and leave the cereal, the milk, and the dirty bowl sitting out, his dirty clothes lie where they fall. I'm left with most of the toddler duty (he might help a little, but for the most part leaves it to me even though we both work and I get home later than he does, and I handle drop-off and pick-up at daycare unless there's some reason I can't do it, then he'll do that), trying to keep the house clean (ha!), trying to keep up with laundry (ha!), trying to pay bills (ha!), and feeling pretty frazzled and overwhelmed and unappreciated most of the time. (At least I know Julian loves me - he gives me lots of hugs and kisses. :) ) And like Rebekah, Julian stays up later than most toddlers. It would mean I'd have less time with him of an evening, but some days I'd give my left arm if he'd be in bed by 7:30 or 8:00. He's usually up until 9:00, later some days (last night he didn't give it up until almost 10:00). Even when I get him into bed (sometimes hubby will help with bedtime), I'll have to stand there with him until he drifts off (no patting, no talking, just being there is all Julian wants, but it's still time I can't do anything else). This leaves me very little time for myself if I want to get anything like a decent night's sleep, since the alarm goes off at 5:30 of a morning.

I don't know if I'd necessarily want to be home full-time - I'm not sure I'm cut out for that. I enjoy working (if not necessarily my current job! :lol: ), and I really think I'd go nuts if I were home full-time. And since I'm the main breadwinner and probably always will be, staying home isn't even an option for me unless we win the lotto. But I would like a bit more flexibility as far as available sick time (since I have so few days, I drag in to work feeling puny quite often) or time to take off with Julian if he's sick (I hate using up my 15 vacation days for that, but it's just about my only option), possibly some on-site daycare arrangements, if only for emergency or sick care, and what I wouldn't give for a shorter commute or the ability to work from home once in a while.

[Brooke]

Brooke, my husband sounds a lot like yours. (In some ways, it will be a relief when he moves out - then I'll know there's no one to rely on but myself, and he won't be there for me to get resentful at when I feel like he isn't pulling his weight.) If he were in charge of dinner, we'd have cereal or takeout pizza, maybe Jack in the Box. He's constantly asking me to do things that he's perfectly capable of doing but just doesn't want to do. (I'm working on telling him "no, do it yourself" more often - one reason I'm in counseling right now!) He won't even pick up after himself - Coke cans stay where he finished off the Coke, he'll eat cereal and leave the cereal, the milk, and the dirty bowl sitting out, his dirty clothes lie where they fall.
Ok.. I need to stand up for Darren a little bit. He's not as bad as your DH! I can see why it would be better when your DH moves out! Darren will take dishes to the sink, throw trash away (he's more anal about that than me). And I have him trained on the dirty clothes thing. If it's not in the bin, it doesn't get washed. It only took a couple times of him not having any clean jeans because the dirty ones were all on his side of the bed when I did the laundry. He figured that out pretty fast.

[Nocona]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work at general contractor as the director of a specialized insurance program for our subcontractors. I also get roped into a bunch of other crap because of my backgroung in risk management.

How many hours a week do you work?50 -- 7am-5pm. I used to work for a few hours on Saturday too, but I stopped that after DH started working weekends.

Do you travel for work? Very rarely and not since I've had Matthew.
Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?No
Who watches your child/children while you work? DH now... he works 2 evenings a week and weekends. Before that, Matthew was in daycare.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? There is always a possibility that the program I administer could be canceled. Luckily, I have been told that they would keep me anyway. Otherwise, we would probably have to put TTC on hold. Plus, we are in the process of trying to renew for 3 years... hello (somewhat) job security :jump:

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? To my face my boss is supportive, however, I know he finds it annoying. He's a male chauvenist and freely admits it. I have to put him in his place a lot :lol: It helps somewhat that he has 3 year old, but only slightly. It also helps that I agree to work from home on my maternity leave and things didn't get behind. He thanked me for that. He always gives me a glowing review, so that's nice. Like most others, my problem at work is focusing on getting stuff done. OUAL is too big of a draw for me :lol: Given that summer is coming, my work volume is going to increase quite a bit. I really have to work on limiting my internet time!!!! My boss has no clue because I still manage to get all my work done, yet leave enough paper lying around to look like I'll never catch up :rotflmao: The company is ok about mommies, however, we have no STD or anything like that and you are definitely expected to come back ASAP after having that kid! We have to use a combo of our PTO and working from home to get any type of pay while out. That sucks! My last company we would accumulate STD at 6 1/2 days for each year of working there. I would have gotten 12 weeks paid with a combination of STD and vacation. Oh well, this place is much more relaxed, which I like a LOT. Jeans, jeans, jeans every day :biggrin:

[kim]

jeans here too :woo: (although not everywhere, but it's ok in my dept)

[Nocona]

Oh, and I probably send waaaaay too many e-mails to Kim every day :lol:

[Brooke]

jeans here too :woo: (although not everywhere, but it's ok in my dept)
I can wear jeans here, too. I try to only wear them 3 days a week, though.

[Lette]

I can wear jeans here, too. I try to only wear them 3 days a week, though.
I don't fit in my jeans yet. :bawl: Regardless we're just business casual all the time here. Only special occasions jeans day.

[Brooke]

I don't fit in my jeans yet. :bawl: Regardless we're just business casual all the time here. Only special occasions jeans day.
I bought bigger jeans. :(

[Dawnie]

I wear jeans everyday and in the summer I wear shorts. There's only three of us here and I never have contact with the customers (other than on the phone) and the UPS man doesn't care what I'm wearing. :lol: If we have someone scheduled to come in I will dress appropriately.

[Cecily]

I could wear jeans, but I usually only wear them on Fridays. I feel really fat and dumpy when I wear them :( My favorite clothes have the word STRETCH on the label :lol:

[Marcella]

What do you do/Where do you work? I am a Nursing Home Administrator, currently running an Alzheimer's facility

How many hours a week do you work? 40 - 42 - I refuse to stay late!

Do you travel for work? No

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No

Who watches your child/children while you work? A friend who we have known for about 5 years, who is a SAHM. She has two children and watches Amelia full-time

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Well, I would love to be a SAHM before we have #2, but I'm fairly certain that won't happen. Our goal for me to become a SAHM (or just work PT) is January 2006, and we are really wanting another baby before then

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? My company is pretty "mommy-friendly". Even though my boss is a man, he's fairly understanding if I need to take Amelia to the doctor or if she's sick or whatever (fortunately, that doesn't happen a lot). I still struggle to some degree with balancing all of my roles. My job is VERY demanding, so I frequently will bring home work with me to do after Amelia goes to sleep. I get sad sometimes that I get so little time with my baby girl. I really try to make the most of the weekends.

[Bev]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work for the Government of Canada as an Acting Parole Officer. My real job is Correctional Officer II but there are no penitentiaries here.

How many hours a week do you work? 37.5 (40 really if you don't count the half hour for lunch)

Do you travel for work? Only day trips unless they decide to send me on a course.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No

Who watches your child/children while you work? He is in the Toddler Program at the local Montessori school.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? No.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? I am not currently having problems; however I am TTC this month and if I do get pregnant I am quite nervous about how they'll handle it. At the pen where I used to work, I got an office job away from inmates, now I am in an office job and I am supposed to be going to parolees homes to check up on them. I'm not too keen on doing that and being pregnant at the same time. The big thing is I am on a fixed term of employment and unless they extend me then I go back on Leave Without Pay (I'm actually still on it, but it is stupidly complicated due to the government regulations) and will have to look for work at another government agency, likely the Border Security Agency(ie Customs) or Citizenship and Immigration. If I get on at Customs then I have to go away for 14 weeks for training. I know my boss wants me to stay there, but I don't know what'll happen if I get pregnant. I prefer doing the interviews of family members and various other assessments and reports anyway, rather than supervision, so hopefully I will get to do only that.

Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? I have not discussed it with my boss, although she is familiar with my molar pregnancy and knows I want to have another child.

Is the company overall mommy-friendly? Generally the Government of Canada is very Mommy/Parent friendly. All workers get 5 paid days per year of Family Related Leave, for appointments or sick family members; also there are rules and regulations regarding safe employment practices for pregnant or nursing mothers (although most only go to 6 months after birth because there hasn't been a new contract since the 12 month Maternity/Parental Leave Legislation came into effect). Also we get our wages topped up to 93% for the 12 month maternity/parental leave. You don't have to pay back the top up if you return to work for the same amount of time you were off. When I was at the pen in Victoria I was able to leave my post to go pump on all my shifts. I just used the ladies locker room and closed the door to the area where I was. I always let the Correctional Supervisor, another unit and the gatehouse know where I was in case there was an emergency and I couldn't respond.

[mommyLil]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a software test specialist for a company that does diaster recovery/high availability software.

How many hours a week do you work? 40

Do you travel for work? No... I breastfeed so will not be away from Nick long enough to take an overnight trip. I was never asked to travel but there's a chance I'll be asked on an up comming project but will say no.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? Surprsingly enough no, I've suffered from mild depression in the past so was worried.

Who watches your child/children while you work? My best friend is the world's best babysitter. Thank G-d for her. Nick adores her and I don't think I'd be comfortable leaving him with anyone else.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Sort of. Before I have another child I want us to be in the position for me to be a SAHM. That being said I want to wait till Nick weans or atleast is 1 to be pregnant again. If Nick is 1 and I haven't been able to quit we will still wait. I can't imagine being exhausted from pregnancy, taking care of a toddler and working.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? I liked my job alot before I was pregnant. I planned my life around being a working mom...got my degree in IT, planned to be an administrator of some sort hopefully Network some day and that was it. I didn't expect to want to be a SAHM ever. But I long for it with all my heart. I love my baby and hate ever minute I miss with him.

My company is very family friendly, my boss even more so.DH works here as well and we've been able to leave when I ran out of BM or even when Nick was inconsolibly upset. I've taken days off when my babysitter was sick without any reprucssion (part of my PTO time bt last minute) My boss is the best boss in the world. He let me go to all my appts wihtout making up the time... I had to go to more of them than most pregnant women. Also I do have a place to pump. It wasn't designated for that but a woman whose sone is a year older than Nick used it to pump and I do to. They intinally didn't assign the office out when I mentioned in passing I'd be breastfeeding. So its not him or the company but me. (Actually I know I'm in the best position possible for a working, breastfeeding mom)

Although I was put on a new project when I came back from leave and it was radically different that I felt like I was starting a new job.

My biggest problem is juggling everything. We live half an hour from work, the sitter is 20 minutes further. People reccomended we just go to a regular daycare but none of the ones around here are any good and Nick LOVES Sharon to pieces and she does him as well. But we're just exhausted. We've gone to cooking all our weekday meals in the crockpot... this really helps a lot. Plus I get up early to pump and Nick is teething and reverse cycling on his nursing so I'm dead tired.

[Rochelle]

What do you do/Where do you work?

I am a training/resource/account manager for a telecommunications company in the LOVELY city of Baltimore.

How many hours a week do you work?

40, sometimes 45, never more than that.

Do you travel for work?

Rarely.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?

No I didn't fortunately. I have been diagnosed with major depression in the past so I was scared I'd have it.

Who watches your child/children while you work?

My mom or my husband (he has days off during the week)

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?

Yes, I don't think my mom could handle having 2 babies to watch especially since my 13 month old is so active so I tend to want to wait to see if we can get ourselves into a better situation to have another one.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?

I haven't had too many problems, my boss is awesome, very understanding, I've rarely missed any work due to the baby I've been in good shape. She even encouraged me to take a longer maternity leave (I couldn't afford it but the option was there, as well as working PT)... The company says they are family friendly but it really depends on your job function.

[Nadine]

I think this is part of my problem. My DH has a very messed up work schedule and I can't depend on him to pick Rebekah up. Like last night - he was supposed to pick her up so I could meet Cecily. He said he'd be there at 5:30 but he got stuck at the office and then stuck in traffic and he didn't pick her up until after 6:15pm. If she'd been at daycare, that would have cost us $40. Tonight, he has a meeting at 3pm (that was just scheduled at noon) so he won't be home until after 6:30pm because of traffic.

Some days he gets up at 4am, some days 6am, somedays in between, depending on where he has to go. So he can't take her to daycare because he leaves too early. He has the horrible habit of deciding after the alarm has gone off that he wants to stay in bed and get up an hour later. I won't let him do that anymore. If he's going to change his mind like that, he can go sleep in the basement. It's bad enough that it takes him 30 minutes to actually get out of bed after his alarm wakes ME up. So I also have a very interrupted sleep pattern.OMG!! Brooke, do we have the same DH??:lol2: It's just so the same here. I never count on him bringing the kids or picking them up. Very often he leaves before their daycare opens and he comes home around their bedtime (and that is consideed early...).
But what made me LOL was the alarm clock thing. My DH doesn't even HEAR the alarm clock. It is up to ME to make sure he gets up- 5,6,7 am whenever. And how often do I hear "Another half hour..."- a zillion times...
Sigh! Men...

[Martian Lullaby]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a receptionist. I used to work in the accounting department here, but when the last receptionist left, my boss informed me that I was taking her place. No choice. Not only that, but they refused to put me on salary even though the previous receptionist was -- so I was doing the same job without the same perks. :furious: It's not a matter of demotion, because they gave me two raises in less than a year. So obviously they're happy with me. But I'm so miserable here. :( I carry the benefits for the family, not to mention I was three months pregnant, so I was stuck. I'm still here because I have yet to find a job where I can make what I'm making now. I hate my job, but I have to stay put.

How many hours a week do you work? Usually 42-45.

Do you travel for work? Does the awful commute count? :dead:

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? I don't think so. I had the dreaded hormone crash after Maya was born, but it went away.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Right now she's at an in-home sitter. However, that won't last too much longer because the sitter won't be tending kids anymore. So we're on the lookout for a new day care.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Definitely. I refuse to have another one until I can be a SAHM.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? My biggest problem is boredom. I know that doesn't sound bad, but it makes the day go by so slowly. And like Lisa mentioned, the receptionist is the one person who absolutely has to be there on time and can't leave early. Before I had this position, I worked from 7:30 to 4:00 with half an hour lunch. I really wish I was still doing that. Instead, I have to keep very rigid office hours. So I just work through lunch and charge them for overtime.

My other big problem is that I hate working with the public and I have no patience for answering the phone. I can't believe some of the stupid people who call. I still have a lot of resentment for this company for putting me in this position, so that doesn't help my attitude.

The company is family-friendly when it comes to things like sick kids and doctors' appointments and such, but of course as the receptionist, I have less leeway for things like that than the other employees. Although I admit to have used Maya's "illness" as an excuse to get a day off.

Another problem I have is pumping. I have to stretch an extension cord across the hall and sit on the floor of the ladies' room. There are no offices open. I'm getting so tired of it.

[bunybomb]

I can wear jeans here, too. I try to only wear them 3 days a week, though.
WOW, we only get to wear jeans on Friday. :tantrum:

[mommyLil]

We're completley casual here.. I wear jeans daily actually if I came in business casual people would assume I had an interview somewhere during the day :lol

[Shannan]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm an Equipment Specialist for the US Govt

How many hours a week do you work? 40

Do you travel for work? Sometimes when necessary

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? no

Who watches your child/children while you work? Air Force Base Daycare

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? We are going to try again here in the next couple of months...

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? Mostly that the engineers that I work with are old enough to be my fathers. I'm the only female in the position for the System Program Office that I work in. There's not much to tell my boss with it as it's a quirk in the C-130 realm. My boss is very supportive as she has a grandson that's a toddler. The company is not mommy-friendly. There is no maternity leave per say and any leave I take for maternity is my paid sick and annual leave.

[Shannan]

Brooke, I noticed you said you took yourself off Celexa. My mom is on it and instead of cutting herself off because it made her sleepy, have you though to only take half a pill? It still helps with the Depression but it doesn't make you so sleepy.

[Lora]

What do you do/Where do you work? Credit Analyst for a wholesale bank

How many hours a week do you work? 20 hours per week. My company gave me an opportunity to go part-time after I had Patrick.

Do you travel for work? Nothing overnight but I do work in the field visiting clients.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No

Who watches your child/children while you work? My Mom watches them every other Monday. The rest of the time they go to a sitter.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Now that I have gone part-time I am more open to considering TTC #3.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? My company is very supportive of my needs as a Mom. They were very open to my request to go part-time and did everything they could to make it happen.

Lora

[Barb]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work at a local TV station. I'm a chyron operator (I put the words on the screen during the newscasts)

How many hours a week do you work? 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday, 1pm - 10pm

Do you travel for work? No

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? I had a bout of depression last fall. I was on Paxil for 3 months, took myself off of it to TTC. I think I should probably still be on some medication, but we are still planning to TTC in a few months again so I'm holding off for now.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Liam goes to a sitter who watches children in her home.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? My working has nothing to do with it, no.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? I'm pretty lucky, I don't have many problems. I get called in to work for emergencies sometimes and one time last year I had to take Liam to work with me because my DH was also working when I got called in and the sitter was unavailable. Other than it, the only problem I have is pure exhaustion after watching Liam all morning and then having to work until 10pm.

[Lette]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work at a local TV station. I'm a chyron operator (I put the words on the screen during the newscasts)

Barb, I know this is off topic, but has there ever been a time where you or anyone else there made a mistake with the words and the TV personality blundered? I've seen it on our news and sometimes it's pretty funny. :lol:

[Barb]

I've made mistakes, but never made the anchor screw up because of it. They can do that just fine without my help! :lol: (I had our station phone number wrong a week or so ago and no one noticed. :) )

Oh, and I can wear jeans any day of the week, too. I try to just wear them once or twice a week though.

[areb]

What do you do/Where do you work?

I am a legal secretary for a law firm.

How many hours a week do you work?

40

Do you travel for work?

No.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?

I had PPD and was on medicine for one week after my son was born.

Who watches your child/children while you work?

Daycare.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?

Sort of. I really want more children right now but with work and one child already i think we will have to wait a little longer before we have more children

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?

I have had to miss a little bit because of Kyle being sick. The office has been very understanding and hasn't said anything. But i feel bad. So i guess this really isn't a problem.

[bunkie68]

Ok.. I need to stand up for Darren a little bit. He's not as bad as your DH! I can see why it would be better when your DH moves out! Darren will take dishes to the sink, throw trash away (he's more anal about that than me). And I have him trained on the dirty clothes thing. If it's not in the bin, it doesn't get washed. It only took a couple times of him not having any clean jeans because the dirty ones were all on his side of the bed when I did the laundry. He figured that out pretty fast.
Brooke, I'm glad to know yours isn't quite as bad as mine! :) The not picking up after himself is one of the most frustrating things about Kevin. The other thing that makes me nuts - asking me where *his* stuff is, like I know where everything in the house is and am responsible for knowing where everything in the house is. AARGH. :banghead:

[ArtsyMom]

I wanted to put in a Canadian perspective :love1: but it seems that Beverly already has. :aok: And, we both work for the government so a lot of our answers will be the same. However, I asked my HR person about having to pay back any "top up" and she said that even if I didn't come back to work, I would NOT have to pay it back. So, I'm curious where you heard this, Beverly. Pls advise.

Also, I have to say: I really feel for you, Americans (and other countries that do not have extended, regulated maternity leave policies.) As most of you know, Canada has a year-long mat. policy where you get at least 55% of your salary and often a top-up for one full year. I don't know how you manage to go to work when your baby is 6 weeks old or even 6 months old! I am a SAHM right now and I'm exhausted most of the time! :eek:

What do you do/Where do you work?
I work as a Corporate Development Associate at a major cultural attraction in Toronto.

What are your hours?
When I'm back at work I will work 37.5 hours/week

Do you travel for work? No

Did you have PPD? No but I suffered and do suffer from anxiety every so often. I also think a lot of it has to do with lack of sleep. :nod:
Who watches your child/children while you work? I am investigating this now but hopefully at a full-time daycare centre near my work. The bad thing about Canada and childcare is we have no national childcare policy so I know that it seems expensive to Americans. For example, I will be paying $1000/month for a daycare centre and that's pretty reasonable. Home daycare is less expensive though.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Yes, I'm sure it will. Plus, I am finding one child very challenging and he's an "easy" baby. So, more than one would probably kill me. :lol:

What are some of the problems you're having at work? N/A right now but any problems I have will probably be related to my crazy boss and exhaustion. Potentially boredom as well.

Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Yes, my boss knows all about my baby and is supportive right now. We'll see how she is when I return. She is a divorced mom to two kids though.

Is the company overall mommy-friendly? Yes, I would say so.

[Bev]

I wanted to put in a Canadian perspective :love1: but it seems that Beverly already has. :aok: And, we both work for the government so a lot of our answers will be the same. However, I asked my HR person about having to pay back any "top up" and she said that even if I didn't come back to work, I would NOT have to pay it back. So, I'm curious where you heard this, Beverly. Pls advise.

What do you do/Where do you work?
I work as a Corporate Development Associate at a major cultural attraction in Toronto.

The "compensation specialist" at my former work site, but she's a bit of an idiot so.... I'd have to check my collective agreement to make sure, but they are pretty much all the same. Do you work for Canadian Heritage? Do you like it? Are they PM's? My substantive position is CX-02 so equivalent to PM-04 (very hard to find) or WP-02 (also hard to find).

[ArtsyMom]

I'm kind of paranoid to say where I work in case my colleagues ever see this board but, no, not for Heritage Canada, for the Ministry of Culture. Let's just say, it's equivalent to the ROM. :nod:

To be honest, I can't remember the code for my position but's not a PM. It's something like an OC???

[togirl]

Can I jump in here? I just have to say - also being from Canada I've had a long time off and I'm just terrified to go back to work. Carter is 15 months old and I'm still exhausted a lot of the time and I don't know if my brain is going to function the way it used to!

[ArtsyMom]

Can I jump in here? I just have to say - also being from Canada I've had a long time off and I'm just terrified to go back to work. Carter is 15 months old and I'm still exhausted a lot of the time and I don't know if my brain is going to function the way it used to!
I hear ya! :nod: Did you Canadian girls see the article in today's Star (or National Post??) on working parents? It's not pretty. :eek:

[Jen A]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm the assistant manager of an insurance agency - we're part of a group of 7 offices in Northern BC.

How many hours a week do you work? 37.5, with some OT

Do you travel for work? on occasion, but not that often, and not very far from home (driving only)

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Both boys go to a daycare facility in town. Austin was in 2 different home daycares until he was 3 (and I went on mat leave for Jackson).

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Yes & No. We can't afford a 3rd - well, I'm sure we'd figure it out, but it would be a big strain. Plus, we don't want more than 2. My income is higher than dh's, and I do not have a choice about working.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? I don't have many work problems. I had some concentration issues when I first came back, but had to suck it up pretty quickly - my boss had major surgery 2 wks after my return, and I was on my own. Any problems that do crop up are usually related to the fact that we have 6 women (no men, yay) in our office....I'm sure you can imagine the dramas some days. :rolleyes: The company is definitely mom/family friendly, which is great. I have 1 personal day/yr, 10 sick days, 3 wks paid vacation, and I took the full 12 month maternity leave available without a problem. They don't offer the top-up, and we're too small for on-site daycare, but those aren't big issues for me.

My boss is very supportive - all but 1 of the women in my office are moms, and we support each other immensely. My boss has kids, and she knows what it's like to be a working mom. If the kids are suddenly sick at daycare, I can use my banked time or vacation time to leave immediately. She knows that the company gets lots of extra time out of me, and she's not worried that I'm shortchanging them.

[Tam]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm an Office Coordinator for American Arbitration Association. We're the world's largest provider in alternative dispute resolution services.

How many hours a week do you work? 35

Do you travel for work? No

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? Yes, I've been on Zoloft, Celexa, Wellbutrin for PPD and post-traumatic stress syndrome from Carson's birth.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Carson is in a daycare/school.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Yes, the more I work, the more I can afford another child! :lol:

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? No problems. If I need time off (even last minute), I can expect to get it. My boss is very family-friendly and believes family comes first. He knows Carson's background, so he is very lenient with me. I usually make up time right away so that he doesn't get the feeling that I'm cheating the system.

Other:
I feel so frustrated right now. I've been doing this mommy/working stuff for 2½ years and I can't seem to get a break. My work time is my adult time. My real job starts at 4:30, when I get off work. I've got a toddler, husband and house to keep up with. My "downtime" is after 9pm, when Carson goes to bed. Even then, I have to clean the kitchen and straighten up the house. On the weekends, I'm struggling for time to get a nap or just sit down. Weekends are "catch-up" time for me. I get all of the laundry done, scrub the floors, clean the carpets, strip the beds and any outside work finished. Again, my downtime is when Carson takes his nap. Heaven forbid he wake up cranky because that throws a loop into the situation. I'm so frustrated that we've had our house on the market since last July and all I feel that I've been doing is cleaning. Every freakin' day my house has to be spotless in order to show well. We're trying to TTC, and sometimes I feel that it's not the right time because I'm so stressed now. What will it be like when the new baby gets here?! Clint and I have started fighting, which totally adds to the stress. Things are just overall bad right now. :cry:

[Connie1222]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a sales assistant for a jewelry company.

How many hours a week do you work? 40

Do you travel for work? Yes, but I will only travel 2 days max. I don't have to travel often.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Jack is in home daycare/preschool

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Yes, I was home with Jack until he was almost 2 and I know I'd want to do the same for #2 (if we have a #2). So we need to wait until we can afford to have me home for a year or 2.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? Work is very busy and stressful. Almost everyone here stays late every night and I feel pressure to do so as well. I have spoken to my boss about it and she is understanding to a point. I would say we are a family friendly company, whenever Jack is sick and I need to take off or leave early they are pretty understanding (I don't take advantage though and I'm paid hourly so I don't get paid when leave early and I get overtime when I work late).

Other: I'm having a hard time balancing work and home. Things like housework are always on the back burner since I want to spend as much time with Jack and Dh when I'm home. I hate my commute (an hour) and I always get home too late to have dinner with Jack and sometimes I only get to spend a half hour with him before it's time to start his bedtime routine. Jack used to wake up at 7am and I would get up 6 to have an hour to myself, but lately Jack's been getting up at 6 as well and I've lost that hour. We also have to move in about 2 months and trying to find an apartment that's affordable, the right size and close to where we are now (Jack's daycare is right across the street ffrom where we live now and I don't want to go to far because of that) is becoming a real challenge.

[Alysia]

What do you do/Where do you work?
I work for a local insurance company in the customer service department. Its a call center environment but I am a team that handles special requests and processes requests from email, mail, and faxes so I am not on the phone constantly throughout the day.

How many hours a week do you work?
38.75 is the standard work week at my company; Occasionally I get a couple hours of overtime but its not required.

Do you travel for work?

No

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications?

No

Who watches your child/children while you work?

I am very lucky in that both MIL and FIL are retired so they watch Genavieve. But, they absolutely drive me nuts and I vent about them often! I just have to keep reminding myself how much money they are saving me every month!

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait?

No. But, I hope that by the time we have another child it might be financially possible for me to stay home.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?

I haven't really had any problems other than the fact it is incredibly hard to motivate myself to get there every morning. My company is very mommy-friendly. In an older part of our building, there is an apartment that our founder used to stay in and that is where they let nursing moms pump. Its a very nice setup.

[ChristiH]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work at a hospital for a BIG group of DR.s as a cash poster. I also go to school two nights a week this semester. I"m trying to get my nursing degree

How many hours a week do you work? I work 40 hrs a week. I work flex time 10 hrs a day...off on Fridays

Do you travel for work? Nope

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? Yup. Was on Zoloft..stopped taking it (cold turkey) have an appointment next week to get back on my meds...this time I want to try Welbutrin

Who watches your child/children while you work? My MIL

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Wait...because my MIL has decided she doesn't want to watch another child of ours...so Jordan and any possible future kids would have to go to daycare and we can't afford that right now

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
I don't really have very many problems. I have FMLA for Jordan and her chronic ear infections/tubes so they can't ask if I need to be off for that.
My hospital is very well known in our area for it's "womens and children's hospital" so they go out of their way to be good to their employees...thank goodness

[Katrina]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a legal assistant/paraleagal at a small law firm specializing in Workers Comp and Personal Injury. I work for the PI lawyer and his (nazi) of a paralegal.

How many hours a week do you work? 40 and not a minute more!

Do you travel for work? Nope.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No. I thought I might have and it took me longer than the 'normal' 6 weeks to get through my 'issues' but I believe I have successfully navigated them One treatment, incidently, was going back to work! The decision to do so, even before I started to actually work, did wonders for my mindset.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Zack goes to a day care/learning center nearby. They love him and he seems to like it and does well.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Sorta. Moresoe my influecne is just that I really like my family as is right now. I love my son and husband and love what we have witheachother and how we are all doing and thriving as a family. I know I will likely have more children but am not looking to that time or planning it at all, nor do I have a clue when I am going to TTC again. I love the dynamic me working has given our family..more balance, more quality time (if that makes sense... maybe less time but our time is more quality)

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
The firm is very casual and flexible. They all have kids pretty much. At least the bosses (attorneys) do so they totally understand kid and work issues. I'm still new so I don't have a good feel of how others handle their work and family balance but it seems pretty good. My paralegal is a nazi though who always works through lunch and takes work home and then complains about not seeing her family enough. Her choice, I think. I personally take my full hour lunch and never take work home. I do commit totally on the job though and since that is all I am getting paid to do (and not very well, mind you) thats what I am giving. So I guess my problem is looking like a slacker next to my paranazi. I'm ok with it for now though since I produce at work. My family is too important to me to be pressured to do more just because 'she' does. Plus, I HAVE to pick my son up from daycare by 6 and with traffic and me coming the way I do, I have to leave no later than say, 5:15 to get him in time. No one complains. In fact, the office is pretty much a ghosttown by then (except for the paranazi..hee hee)

[Katrina]

As for what we wear..TECHINICALLY it's buisness casual but some peoples ideas of that really scare me!!!

[biggstella]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a Marketing Manager for an architecture firm

How many hours a week do you work? 40 most weeks, some overtime when necessary for a deadline

Do you travel for work? Very rarely, sometimes for conventions

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Brooke is happily being watched by my mother (65) and grandmother (83) who moved to town just to be closer to her!

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? No.We want to have two and with my age, we don't have much time to waste.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? I am lucky to have a very supportive boss. If I didn't love the people I work with, I wouldn't still be here. He was great with the PG and is very open to drs visits and anything special that comes up with Brooke. We are a small office of a very large firm, and our office has been mommy-freindly. We had 10 people in it and so far, 3 women and two of the mens wives have/are delivering babies right after mine( I started it, and we think something is definitely in the water here)

[mama2jackson]

Hi everyone!!! I'm soooooooooo glad we have this thread!!!

What do you do/Where do you work? I am a legal assistant/paralegal/office slave for a small medical malpractice defense law firm.

How many hours a week do you work? Technically I work 32 hours, but I get paid for 40 since I do the "office slave" type stuff (meaning I do the client billing, outside invoices, etc. for the office manager because she's dumb!). I get every Wednesday off with the understanding that if I need to get things done, I have the option of getting them done at home since I'm connected.

Do you travel for work? No, just my commute each day, which is about 45-50 minutes each way...it's about 28 miles.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? Sure did, have been on Zoloft for a number of years.

Who watches your child/children while you work? My IL's watch Jackson 3 times a week (Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays)...the bad part is they live 3 doors down from me :puke:. My husband is home on Fridays and is with Jackson. We do pay the IL's for watching Jackson, but not anywhere near as much as we would for daycare.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? I don't think working has influenced our decision. I work because I have to and I work because I want to...although ideally, I would like to work 3 days a week. What does influence my decision to wait is the fact that I don't get paid maternity leave due and I have to use FMLA. We are using this year's tax return and next year's tax return as well as my paid vacation/sick days/personal days for maternity leave because we hope to be TTC in January 2005.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? A MAJOR problem I have at work is the fact that I hear through the grape-vine that I shouldn't stay home with Jackson if he is sick because he only goes to Grandma's house instead of traditional daycare. I don't think it should matter WHERE Jackson stays, if he's sick enough for me to stay home with him and nurse him and just hold him and be his mommy, then that's my decision. I also make sure I schedule all our appointments for Wednesdays so I don't miss any in-office days.

And just talk about anything you need to talk about. We can support each other.

Well, I'm the single-parent with a wedding ring. My husband works 3 hours away from home. He leaves every Saturday afternoon/evening and comes home every Thursday evening/or whenever he gets off...sometimes he doesn't get home until 1:00 a.m. Friday morning. His job has a TON of responsibility so he doesn't have a set time he gets off work, which sucks beyond sucks. Of course, this week, he had to work Friday too so we haven't seen him since Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and he doesn't know when he will be able to get off due to the trains running. :blue: It's soooooooooo hard being a working mommy without having a husband home every night to help, but we have gotten into our routine since Josh started working in Williams in January. Right now, we don't know how long he will be up there so we are just going with the flow for the time being.

I think that's about all for now!:wavey:

[AmyJ]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work at a parent choice public school. I teach 3rd grade.

How many hours a week do you work? I teach from 9:17-3:35 everyday, with a 40 minute lunch. I have to be there 15 minutes before and after the school day. I do about an hour of work a night after the kids go to bed and about 3-4 hours on the weekend.

Do you travel for work? Very rarely, although I did just go to a conference is Scottsdale in early March.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? I didn't have PPD, but I was recently diagnosed with depression and am on Lexapro

Who watches your child/children while you work? My son is in 2nd grade at my school, so no childcare there. My daughter is in morning kindergarten at my school and a friend picks her up at 12:30 and keeps her until I pick her up at 4.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? No, I hada tubal ligation after Sarah because I am REALLY bad at pregnancy and it wasn't a healthy choice to do it again. We *may* consider adopting at some point.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? My prinicipal is VERY supportinve. Especially with my current health issues. I have oftne had to have one of kids come into my room because of childcare emergencies, and that has never been a problem.

And just talk about anything you need to talk about.

Right now I am stressed between, mothering, working, cleaning, being a wife, sister, daughter etc...... and then adding my newly acquired health issues into it. Trying to find a balance.

[Mary]

What do you do/Where do you work? I work for Qwest as a Sr. Technical Project Manager.

How many hours a week do you work? I usually get to work around 7:15 and leave around 4. When I have a cut or a project completing I work more hours, like today when I have to start at 2 am!

Do you travel for work? Used to travel all the time, but we have been restricted to only necessary travel, so I haven't had to in a couple of years fortunately.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? I do have PPD and am currently on Lexapro. Seems to be really helping, finally!

Who watches your child/children while you work? We have an awesome daycare.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? No, we wanted 2 and now we are done.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? I have a new boss since Dec. She was also diagnosed with breast cancer in Dec, so she hasn't been around much. She has always been good to work with though.

And just talk about anything you need to talk about.

I think that it is very stressful working and parenting. It is exhausting and hard to balance everything.

Mary

[Sandy]

[kinsleysmom]

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a marketing assistant for a local communications company

How many hours a week do you work? 40

Do you travel for work? I'm starting to

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? I think I do have some symptoms of PPD...not on any medicine though

Who watches your child/children while you work? A babysitter...she only watches my two kids

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? Well, Kamdyn is only 6 weeks old now. We're definitely waiting till she's in school to have another.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
Well...I go back Monday. They denied my request to work part time :( They are not mommy friendly at all. Makes me furious!

[Sandy]

Sorry about the blank post! I am going to give myself one of these! :slap:

What do you do/Where do you work? Lawyer - I am a defense attorney primarily defending nursing homes right now. Before nursing home litigation got so involved here in MS, I defend car accidents, slip/falls, premises cases - you name it.

How many hours a week do you work? Depends, 40 if no trial is close and if I am trying to get ready for a trial 60+ easily....

Do you travel for work? Yep, quite extensively for trial prep. I travel in state a lot (can return home that night) and out of state for overnight trips also. But, since having DD I have requested no overnight trips and work my schedule around that.

Did you have PPD? No, thankfully. :)

Who watches your child/children while you work? DH has a family run business, so she goes w/ him to work everyday. His mom and the rest of his family are there to tend to her. Really, an ideal situation. :)

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? No. My main influence regarding when to have more is my age. I am 34 so I don't want to wait very long. We will start TTC probably when Rayna is 1. I did have to tell the partners of the law firm that I am not going to try cases for likely then next five years b/c there is just no way I can handle raising small children and doing trials. Too much stress, too much work. They have been very supportive thus far.

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly?
See above. They are supportive but I really put my foot down about the no overnight trips and no trials. I firmly believe that people will take advantange of you for as long as you allow it, so I just wasn't going to let them push me on this one. So far, no problems. :)

Sandy

[Bonnie]

I am late getting to this thread... last time I wanted to fill this in, I decided sleep was more important! :)

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm an attorney. I work for the State of California, Dept. of Justice. I've been an attorney for 10 (YIKES!) years and with the state for 3 1/2.

How many hours a week do you work? 40

Do you travel for work? Very rarely, and if I do, it is not overnight. I am pretty much 100% office bound. Thankfully.

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? No

Who watches your child/children while you work? We have a nanny who comes to our house from 8 to 5:30 M-F. I do some work at home, so I am usually not out of the house until 9 or later and home well before 5:30.

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? No. I made a decision to leave private practice before I had children.... I knew if I went to the govt., I'd get to work a normal work week, have my weekends and holidays and it would be easier for me to have children and not be a total basket case trying to "do it all"... I am just a semi-basket case :lol: We have 2 children and that is all we planned to have and all we plan to have...

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? My "company" being the state of California, is basically parent friendly... our contract says we can work part time and we can telecommute, and I do telecommute when I need to, but I think it is still "frowned upon" in many ways... I am the only working mom in my group of attorneys, and also the only one with very young children...plus, my little one has a cleft palate and has a lot of medical appointments, so I am constantly dealing with that too... I get all my work done and don't have a problem with that, plus, I think people are pretty supportive, esp. since they know we are dealing with medical issues and stress b/c of Courtney, but it is just hard to juggle all these balls!! I am not really having problems "at work", more like problems balancing all of this stuff! I told them point blank that if I ever feel that I cannot work full time and balance, my family comes first, no contest. If it does come to that, you can believe I will make a big deal out of our contract provisions that very clearly state we can work part time. For now, I am managing, but it is tough!

[togirl]

Hi there,

I just started back to work - have been back for 3 weeks and am finding the transition really hard.

What do you do/Where do you work? I'm a production supervisor at an advertising agency.

How many hours a week do you work? 35-40

Do you travel for work? no

Did you have PPD? Are you/have you been on any medications? no - but sometimes I wonder if I should have been.

Who watches your child/children while you work? Daycare centre

Does working influence your decision to have more children or to wait? I want to have more kids NOW so I don't have to work anymore !!!

What are some of the problems you're having at work? Have you told your boss? Is he/she supportive? Is the company overall mommy-friendly? Our company is not very mommy friendly - at least my boss isn't because she doesn't have kids. I hate trying to race out the door to get Carter and feel like I'm getting the evil eye.

And just talk about anything you need to talk about. We can support each other.

I can totally sympathise. I hate work so far and want to be back home with my baby. I feel like it's totally not worth it for the amount of stress it is causing and the little money I make once daycare is paid for. I'm not sure how long I can do this and hopefully won't have to do it for too long before we decide to ttc again....

[Lette]

Here's the old thread. :)

[Alysia]

Thanks for digging this up, Lette! Wow. Its been almost a year since there were any posts! Should we start a new one or do you want to just stick with this one until it hits 1000 posts?

[Lette]

Yeah, this IS old. I vote for starting a new one. I'll join. :)

Go for it! :)