when maternity leave is almost over...

Is it insane to plan to go back to work after maternity leave with twins? Who if you did it? Who took care of the babies a nanny or daycare?
we do not have any family to help us, just me and my DH. I plan to hire a help from the first weeks, preparing this person to take care of the twins on her own. At the same time I want to see this person closer to start trusting my precious babies to her, it is hard for me to trust 100% to someone. And then I want to go back to work when my maternity leave is over. Is this plan realistic?

I am an RN. Are there any moms who are nurses on the forum? I need your advice!

 

I returned to work full time after 6 weeks. I found a WONDERFUL sitter on Craigslist who watches them in her home right down the street. We found her a few weeks before it was time to go back and we interviewed several people before settling on the one we have. It helped that her SIL has triplets so she has an idea of what it's like dealing with multiples. Give it a shot, you might like what you find out there.

I also breastfeed.

I found that working gives me a full time paid break to rest and regroup from the hectic nature of twins. Keeps me sane.

I think you have to be flexible and able to trust someone to care for your babies.

 

I am lucky in the way that I have family that is watching my babies when I go to work. However I have been a nanny for eight years before I had my own children. I had a set of twins for four years (our families are still very close they are like a big brother and sister to my kids). I recommend finding a in home nanny or babysitter if you can. This will take some stress off you because the babies are in a place that they are comfortable. If you work close to your home then you can maybe come home for lunch and be with your babies. Moms often find it easier to pop into their own home rather than a daycare. Good luck, also please interview several people well in advance of you having to go back to work, and have them work with you for a week to make sure that he or she knows how you want them to take care of your babies. And you can see how they are in action. Don't forget to check references.

 

I'm not a nurse, but I did return to work when the girls were 8 weeks old. I won't lie- it was VERY difficult. The girls were still up a couple of times a night to eat, but DH and just broke the night up so we each got at least one good stretch of sleep in. I fed the girls at 4am, put them back to bed, got in the shower and ready for work. I worked from 6am-1pm most days while DH was home with them, and then when I got home he went to work. When the girls were 4 months old they started daycare which was a bit easier. GL and hang in there.

 

I work full-time for a hospital. I'm not an RN, but know of a couple MOMs who are. Some work night shift (can you imagine DH's being the sole caregiver over night??? :lol: ) and some work in the clinic. My kids go to our employee daycare center, and I love it. I think people have strong opinions one way or another about a center or in-home/nanny. I don't want to start that debate here, but I love having a center available.

Anyway, the hardest part for me is balancing everything. I breastfeed and pump 3x at work. I do laundry every night and my house is a disaster compared to how it normally is. But I'm happy and the boys are happy.

 

Yes, I am a nurse but am a SAHM as I have 3 under 2. Just make sure that you trust the person you hire. I am sure it will be hard at first but you will adjust. GL! All of my family works so I am not fortunate there. We had a terrible incident happen to our DS in Jan. so I am very picky about my daycare provider. We have one that took our DS after jan. but cannot take all 3 at this time. I am hoping to go part time next fall but only if she can take all of them.

 

Thanks everybody! I'll try to answer in one post

The reason why I am choosing a nanny instead of daycare because it seems to be cheaper to have a nanny for two instead of a daycare for two. Besides I have not found a good day care in my area. So I am more willing to hire a nanny

I was a nanny myself for 4 years and I know what it is. (But I have never taken care of twins)

I am thinking to work night/weekend shifts instead of days, and DH will probably work from home at least once a week. Thus, we'll be at home at least when nanny is in there too.

 

i'm heading back to work on monday. fortunately my employer is allowing me to work from home so i can keep up my intense pumping schedule in privacy. the boys are going to daycare whether i'm here or in the office.

i found the opposite to be true with the cost of nannies. it does depend on what market you're in, though. i found that most nannies were reasonably priced until you threw twins into the mix. then their price jumped in a way that made them more expensive than daycare. a good few hundred a month more expensive, which is nothing to sneeze at. most daycares will give you a 10% discount on the second baby, but you might have to ask for it. ain't nothin' cheap about any option, though!

we lucked out with daycare facilities. we found a really great place that's located literally at the exit of our neighborhood so it's close and convenient.

 

I returned to work after my maternity leave and we got an Au Pair. It was the most inexpensive option we could find with twins - we do live in the city, so that could be why. Day cares were double the price as for one baby and nannies wanted a rediculous hourly wage!

We used Au Pair in Ameria - aupairinamerica.com. You also have to have the room for them to live with you/be ok with that. The reason we like it is:

1) Flexibility - If we have to work late/go in early, she is always available.
2) Reliability - it is hard to call in sick when you live there (unless you are REALLY deathly ill).
3) Cost - much cheaper than other options where we live
4) Experience - we could see all of her experience and background and someone else did a check to make sure it was true!

If you have other questions send me a message. I am happy to tell you more about cost etc.
S.

 

I went back to work after staying home with the boys for 4 months. We do daycare even though a nanny would have been more convenient and less expensive. I wasn't comfortable with just one person being responsible for my children and not knowing how attentive/responsive she would be when I wasn't there. I also wasn't crazy about having someone in my home when I wasn't there either.

Everything has its pros and cons - we have had bumps in the road and times that have made me seriously reconsider staying at home despite the fact that it isn't the financially responsible thing to do. I actually enjoy the time I spend with the boys now more than I did before because I am not with them 24/7. I get a chance to have real adult conversations and still feel like I am part of the real world - a break my sanity dearly needed. Some days I still miss them terribly, but all in all it was the right decision for us.

I also like that the boys get to play with other children and learn from them. You would be amazed what the other children at day care have taught them - both good and bad... We would have done play dates if I stayed at home as I know over a dozen folks with babies within a couple of months of mine including 2 other sets of twins. So they wouldn't have lacked for company, but it is not at all the same as hanging out with other babies 8 hours a day 5 days a week.

It will be hard the first few times you leave them, but as long as you are comfortable with whomever you choose to take care of them it will get easier. Some day you may even look forward to dropping them off! I know... bad mom...

 

Well....Maybe I should look better for a daycare in my area... I live in Tampa, Fl

Are there any tips where to look for day care centers? I used yellow pages...

 

I just returned to work (part time) this week. The babies are at my company's onsite daycare--so, I'm fortunate that I didn't need to search for another place. The teachers are doing a really good job of watching them, and so the transition has been easy for me and them. It's been great to go back to work--a change of pace for me, and an opportunity for the babies to see other and new things.

I believe there are websites to search for daycares in your area...you can probably google it.