Quit great job to stay home with baby?

Nurses Career Support

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So I have been working at a job that I absolutely love. I do home visits for low income, first time moms. Lots of education and tons of time with each mom and baby (2 1/2 years). I've always wanted to work in maternal health so it is a great fit for me.

However, I am pregnant with my first child and I've always wanted to go part time or prn after I started a family. The problem is I spoke with my manager and my company does not allow part time work. So I'd have to go back full time 40 hours or not at all.

I was just wondering what you lovely ladies thought. My baby will only be a baby for so long and I want to focus him/her. I also don't want my work to suffer if I'm working full time while trying to focus on my child.

I've thought about getting another job, maybe in postpartum or lactation but it's so hard thinking of giving up this great job and I worry it might be difficult to find a job in these areas. But on the other hand I just can't get my head around the idea of working full time while someone else takes care of my baby.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts :)

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I wouldn't work FT out of fear of not finding work if I could afford to cut back to part time. Call me naive but I think experienced nurses that truly love their jobs, and are good at them, find a way back to work.

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You said it best when you said "my baby will only be a baby for so long." I had the same exact experience 15 years ago and I chose to leave to be with my child. While sometimes I still wish I had that job, I have no regrets.

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Someone once told me that no one on his/her deathbed ever uttered the words "I very much regret that I didn't spend more time at work".

Your baby isn't going to remain a baby, as you clearly know. Jobs will come and go, but your child will be your child for the rest of your life. If you can financially manage it.....in The Big Picture way of looking at it, it really isn't a quandry at all.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

If I could financially afford to stay home with my baby, then I would. I would love to be able to do that until my child became school age.

As long as you are stable enough financially, I would recommend staying home, at least for a little while. You could get a part time or prn job elsewhere to maintain your skills and employment history.

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Thanks everyone! I definitely don't want to sacrifice my family for my job. If I could afford to stay home full time it wouldn't even be an issue. I just don't want to sacrifice a full time job I love for a part time job that I might hate. Or risk being out of a job for too long and not be able to pay the bills.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

I don't regret staying at home with my son for the first year at all. It was the best decision I ever made. I watched him grow from an infant, a tiny baby, into a person! I've worked with babies before but he's MY son & it's been just amazing. No job, no amount of money could take this time away from me.

I'm going back to school to become an RN. I will miss him while I'm at school & when I go back to work but it is worth it. I don't know if I will be able to stay home for a year with my next child but I am thankful I was able to with my son. :)

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This one will take care of itself. Once you have your baby you will know with clarity whether the having a great job will be worth working FT or not.

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I would start putting out feelers for p/T PRN postpartum and /or lactation jobs. With my first I stayed home for 4 months. Only two of those months were paid but it was worth it. After that I couldn't afford to stay out of work. However I had the peace of mind knowing she was at home with her dad.

For #2 I started school when she was 8 months and I still felt slightly guilty because she was going to day care.

Do you have FMLA? How long would it last? Have you discussed how long they would hold your position for you?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

YIKES - when I see threads like this..... after reading about Johnson & Johnson extending their PAID maternity leave to 17 weeks.... it just makes me so sad. Why is health care employment so flipping anti-family? Just a mini-rant.

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YIKES - when I see threads like this..... after reading about Johnson & Johnson extending their PAID maternity leave to 17 weeks.... it just makes me so sad. Why is health care employment so flipping anti-family? Just a mini-rant.

How is this anti family? OP isn't talking about maternity leave, she is talking about 5 yrs until her child is ready for school. And her position was previously established as full time only.

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Specializes in hospice.

Find something PRN after baby is born. Many moms find that a perfect solution because you can work when you want to, keep gaining experience, and keep your foot in the door, but also never have to miss something important. And if you work opposite your husband, you eliminate the cost of childcare, both in dollars and in separation/health consequences. When the little ones are off to school, then you can go back to this full time job you love. I'm sure it won't go anywhere and they'll remember you were great at it.

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