The 5 factors to help you decide how much time to take off work after having a baby

You just found out that you are pregnant? Congratulations! And welcome to a whole lot of planning, organizing and deciding. Among the things you have to decide is how much time off work you want to take.

With my first daughter I went back to work after the end of maternity leave (8 weeks after she was born). From when I found out I was pregnant until after she was born I was set on the decision and didn’t change my mind.

This is the first week of child care leave after the birth of my second daughter. I started the week with a playdate Monday morning with another mom and toddler sipping lattes in a park and enjoying the first smiles from my 2 months old at home.

Staying home with my second daughter this week makes me think about how to decide how much time off work you want to take around giving birth to your baby. How would it have been to go back to work this week? Here are the factors I considered in making that decision.

Here is the list of things I considered in deciding how much time to take off work both the first and second time.

Regulatory

A major aspect of taking time off work is, of course, the regulatory environment. How much leave are you entitled to by law but also by your company? Are you currently on an assignment for your company that comes with a special contract and benefits that limit you to a certain period of leave. Check the country’s labour law, your companies’ policies as well as your own contract situation to know the possibilities.

If you are in an environment that grants a lot of childcare leave you might feel pressured to take a lot of time off even though you feel like going back to work quickly or the other way round. Taking leave in the amount of time that you are legally entitled to sends a different message than taking unpaid leave on top of that. Focus on what you want for yourself, your family and your career and try to tune out any voices that try to tell you otherwise. To do so it helps to be clear about your choice with regards to the other factors mentioned below.

Related: The Beginner’s Guide to Maternity Leave in Japan

You and Your Baby

It is difficult to distinguish between these two as there is this strong connection between you and your baby. While you are pregnant you are essentially still one. It is important to not forget yourself when becoming a mother why I think it’s important to look at it separately.

You

How do you see yourself as a working mom? What are your career aspirations? What kind of mother do you want to be? Can you see yourself with lots of time off to take care of your baby and free time to use at your discretion or do you prefer to be busy with work? It might be easy to answer these questions now but be prepared for all of it to go down the drain once you hold your baby. I know that I am a lot more mum than I thought I was going to be. What I strongly believe is that the you in you as a mom has to be happy and do what you want in order to be a good mom.

Besides your pregnancy do you have any projects going on in your life besides the baby for which it could be helpful to take some more time off? Projects like getting your PHD or other certification, a big wedding or moving houses. Or simply to take a break. If you are in a place with paid childcare, is it smart to take as much advantage of the system as possible (i.e. free time while still getting paid) or better to go back to work quickly?

I chose to go back after maternity leave when my first daughter was 2 months old. I wanted to be an example to her with regards to pursuing my career and being financially independent. I had been promoted to my first manager position just when I found out I was pregnant so that I did also feel a type of obligation to not be out for a long time. This did not come from my boss or the organization but was an internal sense of responsibility and also motivation to really take on this management position that made me want to go back to work.

Your Baby

As a good mom it’s my role to take care and protect my baby. This, however, doesn’t mean it has to be me all the time. It could be a well chosen daycare or nanny or family. It takes a village anyway, right?

With my first born I was thinking a lot about how to give her a good start in life. As the first born she would be an only child until we would have another child. How could I surround her with other children with whom she could interact, learn from and play with?

What do you see for your baby and their first months? How much time do you want to spend with your baby? Whatever you decide the decision are unfortunately also dependent on availabilities of nurseries and day care. Are you able to secure daycare so that you can go back to work? Would your job allow you to work from home, flexibly so that you can manage both your job and your baby?

I was lucky to be at a company with an in-house daycare where I could secure a spot. Moreover, my company has many flexible work options incl. flex time and working from home. Most importantly maybe, I had a supportive boss. I will never forget his reply when I asked him about the option of part-time “No”. Just to go on to say ” When you work part-time you end up working full-time anyway but get paid less. You do what you have to do to take care of your baby. I don’t care if you answer your emails at 6am or 10pm. Just make sure you have your business under control.”

As you are planning the time off considering you and your baby always keep some flexibility as you first of all don’t know how you and your baby will be with regards to health and second of all how you will feel once you have your baby in your arms.

Financial

Along with the regulatory aspects of maternity leave check the financial benefits you are entitled to while on leave. Looking at the benefits provided, how long can you afford or are you ok with not receiving your normal salary? Also, when will the benefits actually be paid.

Another financial consideration for a lot of mothers or parents is the cost of daycare. If the cost of daycare eats up a major percentage of your salary, then is it worth it to go back to work rather than taking care of your baby by yourself? In that equation, do not just look at your salary and the day care cost. Consider also the potential earnings increase from not being out of the workforce for a long time and as an investment in yourself and staying relevant in your organization and the job market.

Related: Don’t Miss Out: Complete List of Financial Benefits for Pregnancy, Birth and Child Care

Career

What are your career goals? Are they tied to a certain age you’re at? Are you facing a promotion in the near future or have just received one? While I am pro going back to work quickly (from a German and Japanese perspective) I have been so inspired by Cynthia Usui who was a stay at home mom for 17 years before she returned to the workforce and now has a beautiful career.

In a conversation with a friend the other day she said “Can I do this to my organization and have another baby soon after the first one?” She had been out for 7 months after giving birth also shortly after having been granted a promotion. My response was an absolute YES. It is as they say ‘There is never a right time to have a baby’.

Both times I got pregnant the company announced a big internal restructuring right after. While on the one hand it seemed really inconvenient to be out for this time there were also some benefits to being out at the time. It depends on how you prepare your maternity leave and how you turn it in to opportunities.

Related: 7 Best Tips to Communicate your Pregnancy and Maternity Leave To Your Employer

If you work in a big organization you know how little can change in 3-4 months. Even within a year. Nowadays, there is also a lot of people going on sabbaticals and coming back to their jobs afterwards. Your return to work and the progression of your career will depend on how well you prepare your maternity leave and how well you re-integrate to work after it.

Conclusion

We all have to earn a living and you have to secure your financial support when having a baby and being out from work. This can take many different forms: your savings, support from employment insurances or your partner. With that in place listen inside yourself and yourself only to figure out how much time you want to take off work. Work will always be there. It is ok to want to be a stay at home momma or to want to go back to work a week after your baby is born. You can only be the best mom to your baby if you are happy.