Extending Maternity Leave
I am very torn and want to ask what would you do if you were in my situation? I’m in a country where we are very lucky to get 5 months maternity leave paid and then a further 7 months unpaid. I *was* thinking about returning to work after my paid leave is up as I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford staying home but turns out I can, I will just be cutting it very close for comfort (only saving about $50 every week). Would you take this opportunity to spend as much time with your child even though you know you will be living pay check to pay check for a couple of months OR would you go back to work and make that sacrifice? I’m torn between the two because on one hand that extra savings would obviously help us but on the other hand your baby is only this little once. Let me know your opinion!
EDIT: Thank you everyone for your opinions and advice, it really helped me make a decision! I’ve decided to stay home for a little longer with him. I have some things to sort out in terms of his health so would love to get on top of that before putting him in daycare. I also work 9hr days 3x a week so he’d have to be in care for the entire day and I wasn’t really comfortable with him being in care for 11hrs at only 5 months old. I don’t think I’ll regret my decision, they are only this little once! 😊