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I was home with DS for 14 weeks and DD for 12 weeks and I thought that was plenty! I was so tired of being home all the time and was excited to be back at work and on a schedule

eta: your post says minimum and poll says ideal... The MINIMUM amount of time would be 10 weeks - ideal was 12 weeks.

@HolisticMama: I cant imagine going back at 6 weeks

We only get 6 weeks paid leave (via short-term disability) with a 1-week waiting period - however, I really think it's worth it to take the whole 12-week FMLA period, if you can at all swing it!

Minimum: 12 weeks (what I had)
Ideal: 5-6 months

I went back at 13 weeks and it was okay. I really wish I could have been part-time for a few months, though. I was mentally ready to be doing something non-baby-related again, but definitely not ready to be doing it full time. It took me awhile to get readjusted. For me, ideal would have been three months off and then three months of working 20ish hours per week.

I didn't go back until my son was 2, but in hindsight, I could have gone back to work at 6 months post partum. I was ready, I didn't think I was at the time, but I was, looking back.

@PurplePeony: oh yes, I like your idea!

I was planning 12 weeks, but decided to go back at 11 weeks (which will be this coming Monday ) because I was starting to go stir crazy being F's only caregiver, and also only 5 weeks of my time off has been paid.

Ideally i would love to be going back 3 days a week until he's 6 months or so.

I went back part time at 4 months... I didn't feel ready at all and cried so much having to be away. I think 6 months would have been better.

6 wks is way too short

Minimum I think 16 weeks. Ideally six months.

That said, I had a year and felt ready to go back at six months. For me a year was over kill.

Ideally, 1 year like in many other countries such as Canada. Or never

I went back part time at about 6 months and I was ready, but only because it was 5-10 hours per week. My freelance work is just now ramping up to close to full time and my LO is 11 months and I am still not ready

@loveisstrange: Same here. I was still nursing on demand at 6 months, but he was sleeping longer stretches in the crib in his own room (having previously slept in our bed with us), and napping well.

I stayed home with him until he was 19 months, and, in hindsight, I wasn't a great SAHM, and we've ALL really benefited from me going back to work, even though it's exhausting not having D at home to help in the evenings, after I've worked a full day, including a 1-2 hour commute, traffic depending. I loved that I could spend time with him when he was little, because he's so big now and it went so fast, but I think we would have been better off sooner if I had gone back earlier.

Ideally, at least 6 months. At least at that age they can sit, move around a little and eat a little solid food. It really made a difference in how ready LO was to be left with someone else in my eyes. But even more ideally, somewhere between 1 and 2... DS is now in day care and while it's great for him overall, his speech development is suffering and they don't seem concerned at all... no one at the day care can be bothered to get him to talk more, and what little progress we make is from weekends we spend together.

Ideally, at least one year. I'm really enjoying the 6-9 month stage and all the development, and he's a lot of fun. I would have hated to miss it!

Minimum would be 12 weeks. I started working part-time at 16 weeks, and it was rough, but doable.

My employer offered 8 weeks STD @ 60% pay, but I was not ready to go back when my FMLA was up, so I quit and started looking again when LO was 6 months and started a new job when she was 8 months. Ideally, I would have liked to stay at home long term, but it is not in the cards right now.

Ideally never One year would have been ideal I think if one had to go back to work. I took 9 weeks and I was NOT ready to go back. LO is now 10.5 months old and I am only now starting to feel better about leaving him every day.

@HolisticMama: I went back at 8 weeks with both LO's born via c section. It was hard to leave them for sure but I don't think 4 more weeks would have made it any easier. I do think 8 weeks is the minimum in my opinion. They sort of start getting sleep figured out at that point so that at least you are a little less of a zombie. I know some people do 6, but if you can afford the extra 2, i'd do it. I took 3 weeks of vacation and 5 weeks unpaid. We were okay doing this financially.

Minimum is 12 weeks, which is what I took. Ideally, I'd love to be home for a year. I was still a mess when I went back at 12 weeks, and it wasn't until 10 months that I actually started to feel rested and competent at my job.

I saved up some money before hand and my company requires you to use any vacation, sick, and comp time you have concurrently with your leave. We don't qualify for FMLA, so it's great that they gave me the 12 weeks. So, I was paid, but it was very much reduced from what I normally make and I wasn't paid at all the last month of my leave, which was stressful when our heater broke during a cold snap and we had to drop $600 we didn't really have on it.

ETA: At six weeks, I was still bleeding and sore from my uncomplicated vaginal delivery. My baby refused to sleep unless she was held and we were dealing with our second bout of thrush and I had to throw out our entire stash of frozen milk. I would not have been a good employee had I gone back then.

Minimum 12 weeks - I can't even imagine going back sooner and/or leaving a 6 week old with someone else. So sad.
Ideal 6 months.

Since I'm a teacher and our situation was very complicated with a 25-weeker preemie and a nearly 5 month NICU stay, I ended up missing 7 months, then had a short 6 weeks at the end of the school year that I had to go back (grandparents watched him), before having the summer off. So he was 7 months adjusted when I really went back to work.

I was home for 11.5 weeks after my son was born. He is now 6.5 months old. Honestly, I am glad to be back at work. I really value my time with the baby, but if I had to spend all day with him I think it would drive me crazy.

That being said, I had a lot of challenges with breastfeeding, and I did not turn the corner on that until 8 weeks. It probably took about 4 months for my body (backs, hips) to not HURT somehow every day.

I think I would have been fine with going back any time between 10 and 16 weeks. 8 would have been too short because I needed a few pain-free weeks of full time breastfeeding in order to feel established in our nursing relationship.

I spent 10 days on vacation with my son and my husband a few weeks ago, and it was way too intense. I never had any time to myself, and it nearly killed me. So, I think it depends on your personality!

Minimum: 12 weeks
Ideal: 6 months