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Yes and no! Was ready to go back to work but not ready to leave her at 12 weeks.

The first six months I spent emotionally wanting to be back at work, but not physically ready.

At six months I am physically ready but not emotionally anymore. I am totally loving this stage now and am no longer wanting to be back at work! I feel like it will be harder to leave her as she gets older .

@ladybee: I think US maternity leave stinks because the first few months are so hard!

If you're not happy can you go back earlier? Have you looked into any moms groups? We are so much happier when we get outside every day.

I did not really enjoy it. I enjoyed the first 3 weeks or so, then I was just stuck in the house with a colicky baby. It was a nightmare! She would cry for hours on end and it was just hard. I did t want to leave her, but going back to work was honestly a relief. I would totally take a month off right now though! It would be more predictable, but I couldn't stay home longer than that. I get restless because I'm not creative enough to come up with things LO and I would enjoy on a daily basis!

I totally here you. There were days when I counted down to DH coming home. It's frustrating to normally be a productive person and all of a sudden getting the dishwasher unloaded was a good day. I felt equally conflicted once I went back to work, I'd have given anything to stay home in the days leading up to my return yet totally didn't want to stay home. Now I really enjoy my weekends and even when she's melting down I'm there and loving it because my time with her during the week is so short.

Don't feel guilty! I was so much happier when I went back to work. I'm a much better mom when I have a job to go to.

ETA: hugs!

Well, I'm a SAHM by choice, and I do love it, but I hear you on the long crappy days. It's draining, and this young, I feel like there is really only so much you can do with them. It sounds like joining a mom group or taking some classes would really help you. I have a weekly play date with the moms from my first mommy and me class, plus I try and do things like library story time if it works with her naps. And we go out for walks as often as we can, now that the weather is finally starting to warm up. Probably just making lunch plans a few days a week would help. Could you bring him into the office to meet your coworkers? Adult interaction AND people telling you how cute your baby is-- perfect.

I didn't really enjoy maternity leave and at the time it really stressed me out. I felt guilty for not appreciating it since I took 4 whole months (longer than typical in my area). Now that LO is a year I realize that I'm not a newborn person and expecting to enjoy that period (especially with colic) is nuts. It doesn't help that there are people everywhere reminding you to enjoy every minute.

@Foodnerd81: Yeah, it was getting to the point where people would come over to our house and M would cry if they held her. Or she would whine if I left the room. I loved that she was so attached to me, but it was exhausting and I really wanted her to be comfortable being around others. It's a lot better now that she's in daycare. For the past week she has gotten so excited when she sees her teachers in the morning. Makes me happy that she loves it there (though it does make me a tiny bit sad that she's not as attached to me anymore!).

@.twist.: Yeah a year would have been too much for me. Esp. since DH is gone Mon -Thus. Luckily he was home for a project most of maternity leave. There were a couple weeks he was gone and it was really hard. It does suck cause we( in US) only get off the hard couple months.

I'm loving it but my DH is home with me so I get adult conversation all day

Being on mat leave has made me realize I definitely want to go back to work but he will only be 8 weeks old when I go back and that just seems like way too young to be without mama.

I wish I had 6 months or even more even though I'm dying for normal adult life again.

It's been a mixed bag. The first three to four months were HARD, between BFing, emotional stuff/mild PPD and just the mental shift that one has to make when one becomes a parent I was a MESS and wanted to go back to work.

Since then, and particularly since six months, things have gotten so much better. Having said that though, I'm going back to work in five weeks and I'm ready. DD has gotten to a point where she's so busy and so social that I feel like I'm just not enough stimulation for her anymore.

I joined a couple mum and baby groups and they were the best thing. One in particular is a group of like-minded mamas and we can talk about anything and everything. It's a great support system and we now socialize outside of group too.

My parents visit one day and week and another day we go to a mum and baby music class, so those help us get through the week. I also now follow a bit of a schedule every day which helps by providing some structure and I find and excuse to get out of the house every single day without exception, which is so necessary for me and my mental health.

Not really!! I used to get pissy when DH would text me and say he was stopping for gas on his way home be cause I was literally counting down the seconds until he got home, Lol. I also always had grand plans of getting out of the house everyday but when it came down to it I always felt overwhelmed and just stayed home! I could never be a SAHM, I'm much h better now that I'm working!

Yes, because my DH was off during that time as well. I wouldn't cAll one day less than 5 weeks a maternity leave, though...

DD was extremely colicky, so I wouldn't say it was fun. She cried all day and night and I had a Toddler to look after. But it was still nice just not having to go to work.

Yes, and I opted not to go back at the end of it (I would have gone back at twenty weeks).

I struggled with depression when I was isolated in the past, so I went into maternity leave knowing that it was very important that I have some company at least a couple times a week.

I joined a couple of parenting groups, so at first I knew a lot of other moms that were on maternity leave. We would meet at the park for a walk about once a week. I also started going to baby story times at the library at least once a week.

I have also been incredibly lucky in that my parents are retired and live nearby. They usually come over at least once a week and are generally willing to do whatever I'd like. They help me go shopping or cook or go to the dentist or just hang out. I've been feeling their absence this month because they are on a long vacation.

I'm also lucky that our weather is mild enough that its usually possible to go out every day, even if its not too pleasant. We walk around the neighborhood a lot.

I loved it in the summer, but if I didn't go back to work this would have been a REALLYYYY long winter! I love spending time with DS, but the days that we're stuck in the house drag and he gets fussy and I find myself counting down the hours until DH gets home. You are not alone!

Yes and no. I think I was just anxious being a 1st time mom that I didn't enjoy it as much as I could of. I wasn't ready to leave him at the end of 12 weeks, but I was ready to go back to work to start our "real life." I knew I wasn't meant to be a SAHM so maternity leave almost felt like playing house? Being a working mom was real life.

I'm hoping to enjoy it more this go around. I just want to soak in every moment with my 2 boys and not worry about things.

I am going back and forth on this question. LO is 9 weeks old, and I am dying for adult interaction but also dreading leaving him. My maternity leave is a little flexible since I am on the academic calendar, but, as a professor, I really should get back to my research this summer. So I am having a hard time figuring out what to do. I feel guilt in either direction. But maternity leave has been no picnic. I have found it to be very isolating since none of my friends are SAHM. I also kind of resent the fact that DH doesn't have to be in the childcare trenches with me and isn't building the experience with LO that will create an equal share of responsibilities when I go back to work. I guess that is why some European countries require the man to also take leave, otherwise the couples' total leave time is reduced.