For Those Of You Who Only Took 2 Weeks Off (Or Around That) For Maternity Leave...

[melilley]

My dh and I have decided to have another baby and we are going to start trying this month...Yay! happyface

This will be my third child (I have a 10 yo dd and 1 yo ds), but my first while having my fcc and I have a few questions. I am no spring chicken here :: and am just wondering how you honestly felt with just taking 2 weeks off as I know many of you ladies only took 2 weeks off for maternity leave.

Honestly, do you think that was enough (I know no amount of time is ever enough, but...)? How did your days go after the two weeks? Were you miserable at first (and for how long) or do you just get into the routine of it and everything was normal? How did you function when the kids came back?

I just remember being so out of it for a few months after having both of my kidws and wonder if I would be able to function having other kids after only having 2 weeks off.

My dh and I figured out that I could close when I am 8 months along and re-open a few months later and we would be financially fine. I know that would be the best thing to do and what I really want to do, but in reality I know that right now I am having a hard time filling just one spot (I know it fluctuates) and worry that if I close and reopen a few months later that none of my families would come back and I won't be able to find kids. And I also thought about hiring an assistant while on leave or for the few months that I would have closed, but I would probably be paying them close to what I make a week, plus would have to take out taxes and go through all the stuff that comes with hiring an assistant.

Ugh...such an exciting time, but also worrisome!
Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[childcaremom]

I took 3 weeks off after my second was born.

Once reopened I found it to be too much, if I am honest. I was exhausted! I closed permanently after 2 months of being reopened.

Looking back, I probably would have fared better to take a few months off. Get back on my feet and get some rest.

I would use your other recoveries as a guage. Good luck and congrats!

[Shell]

I just had my ds a few months ago, and my plans for the dc kind of didn't work out. I planned on taking 2 weeks after, but was induced two weeks later than anticipated, and so the parents and I had to re-work the original plan, and I wound up only able to take off one week. It was rough, but it honestly helped me keep going. I had my mom around to help, but it was difficult not sleeping at night, and then having to take care of 5 other kids. The time went by in a blur, and quickly, and I was able to make money I needed, and keep the current families. Best of luck!

[TwinKristi]

If you could afford to take the time off, maybe invest in hiring a helper for that time instead of closing for a long period of time. That way you have someone who can be there while you need to take a nap or get the baby down or something. Just for a few months and see how it goes. Unfortunately if you take off a few months you're basically closing your doors and it's unlikely someone will leave for a few months and come back. Not completely out of the question, but the DCM I have now is one that's quick to leave. She had a good friend as a provider for her DD and DS and when DD went to preschool it was only her DS there and then she was closing for 2wks so instead of just finding someone for 2wks (because really, who wants to take on kids for a few weeks or even months knowing they're leaving anyway) she just changed providers completely and found it worked out better. Well until she decided to up and leave here for Jr Preschool next month!
I personally haven't had a baby while doing DC, so this isn't personal experience, but I've been pregnant 5 times and every recovery was different. My last one was the WORST! I was only 31 but it had been 6yrs since I had a baby and boy it made a big difference. I ended up with a uterine infection, then I ended up needing my gallbladder out within 7wks. It was AWFUL! I cannot imagine having to worry about a daycare on top of a newborn, myself and my family. At least if you have a helper there with you, even if you do have a rough recovery, you have someone there to help you keep things running normally. I'm not sure how much people charge where you are, but you have to calculate if having a helper would be cost effective, which in the long run I would guess it is, even if you break even, if it keeps your clients there instead of somewhere else and unsure of their return.

[Crazy8]

I took 2 weeks for my 2nd and 3rd (wasn't doing daycare with my first). I was fine by 2 weeks - both natural w/no epidoral or anything though, no c-sections. Sure I would have loved more time off just so I could sleep in the mornings, LOL, but physically I was fine to work with the kids. We took it easy, no trips to the park right away and there was a movie hour once or twice a week but my families were all perfectly fine with that.

[jojosmommy]

I took off two weeks and was fine. I was purposeful about how to return. My hardest family was off 4 weeks, so I transitioned back to work so to say. One family (2kids) for the first 2 weeks, then 2 more kids at 4 weeks.

I decided it was more helpful to hire a house cleaner, order out (a very rare treat for us usually) once or twice a week, and I paid for my son to go to back up daycare two days for a few weeks to give us a break and focus on just baby. I couldnt afford to lose my families completely so this helped balance their needs with ours.

[permanentvacation]

I took 1 DAY off!!! You know, the one day they made my baby and I stay in the hospital.

I went into labor just before my school kids were getting out of school. I called my doctor and my substitute. Before my substitute could get to the house, one of the moms of one of the school kids arrived early to get her daughter. She and I had become friends to a degree from me watching her child for many years and her daughter and my older daughter had become best friends. So I drove her, her daughter, my daughter, and myself to my doctor's office after my sub got there and the kids got home from school.

I gave birth on the bathroom floor of the doctor's office. They put my baby and me in an ambulance and took us to the hospital. They made us stay that night and sent us home the next afternoon.

The next morning, I had my dad and his girlfriend at my house at 6am to do daycare. But they kept giving the daycare kids the wrong cups and the kids kept fussing telling my dad and his girlfriend which cup belonged to who. I could tell that the kids were getting confused and frustrated and my so were my dad and his girlfriend.

So I got out of bed and started doing daycare at 6am the day after giving birth! I did just fine. I was still at home and able to spend time with my newborn baby. My husband stayed home for the first week, so he helped with our baby while I worked with the daycare kids.

Kind of a$$backwards - huh!? One time when I looked into our bedroom and saw my husband with our baby, I got irritated feeling like I was getting left out. But I only felt that way that one time and I realized that it was good for him to have time by himself with our newborn baby. So I let it go and went about doing daycare.

I moved a little slower - well, maybe not any slower than I did a couple of days before then when I was 9 mos pregnant! And we didn't do the preschool activities for a while, but for the most part, everything was fine with me starting daycare immediately.

[jenn]

I took 2 weeks. I had a helper with me the first week that I was open. I only had 4 DCKs and my newborn. My DCKs were all "well trained" and knew the routine so things went pretty smoothly. However, I think it would be really hard to close and then reopen with new kids. It takes me awhile to get new kids in the routine, and I'm not sure I would have been up to that after 2 weeks. If it is hard to fill open positions, that might be more stress than you'd want with a newborn.

[Heidi]

I took 2 weeks with both the last 3, and it was fine. I felt so much better after having the babies than I did the last month of my pregnancies (terrible insomnia and restless leg syndrome), that it was actually an improvement. I run a tight ship when it comes to nap time (and at the time had a lot of older kiddos...not like now), so there was time each day for me to wind down or have one-on-one with my newborns.

[littlemissmuffet]

I was only off for three days after baby was born (and only because she was born on Christmas Day), but she was in the NICU for 3 and a half months after being born. I worked as usual and then spent my evenings and weekends at the NICU. It was exhausting, but I pushed through.

When she came home at three months old (well, technically a few days old) hubs was here to help with either her or daycare for the first six months which was tremendous help. I'd have been able to do it on my own, but I am so very thankful I didn't have to.

I guess it depends on how many daycare kids you have... I always listened to mine and my hub's grandmas talk about themselves and their neighbors/friends who had 5-10 children of their own (often one right after the other) with no outside help and managed just fine. I guess it just depends on how you look at it.

[melilley]

I took 1 DAY off!!! You know, the one day they made my baby and I stay in the hospital.

I went into labor just before my school kids were getting out of school. I called my doctor and my substitute. Before my substitute could get to the house, one of the moms of one of the school kids arrived early to get her daughter. She and I had become friends to a degree from me watching her child for many years and her daughter and my older daughter had become best friends. So I drove her, her daughter, my daughter, and myself to my doctor's office after my sub got there and the kids got home from school.

I gave birth on the bathroom floor of the doctor's office. They put my baby and me in an ambulance and took us to the hospital. They made us stay that night and sent us home the next afternoon.

The next morning, I had my dad and his girlfriend at my house at 6am to do daycare. But they kept giving the daycare kids the wrong cups and the kids kept fussing telling my dad and his girlfriend which cup belonged to who. I could tell that the kids were getting confused and frustrated and my so were my dad and his girlfriend.

So I got out of bed and started doing daycare at 6am the day after giving birth! I did just fine. I was still at home and able to spend time with my newborn baby. My husband stayed home for the first week, so he helped with our baby while I worked with the daycare kids.

Kind of a$$backwards - huh!? One time when I looked into our bedroom and saw my husband with our baby, I got irritated feeling like I was getting left out. But I only felt that way that one time and I realized that it was good for him to have time by himself with our newborn baby. So I let it go and went about doing daycare.

I moved a little slower - well, maybe not any slower than I did a couple of days before then when I was 9 mos pregnant! And we didn't do the preschool activities for a while, but for the most part, everything was fine with me starting daycare immediately.

Oh wow! Hopefully it was an easy delivery! This is a story for the books!

[melilley]

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone! I really got some insight on my questions!

[permanentvacation]

Yes, both my deliveries were very easy - pretty much sneeze and they were out! But delivering in the doctor's bathroom did scare the mess out of the lady who was sitting just outside of the bathroom and 9 months pregnant with her first child!! Poor lady!