Jodie,

I know in our situation, we already use the baby bonus so I can stay home for 12 weeks - thats only paying 10 weeks of our mortgage repayments.

So unfortunately, unless I want me and my family out on the street - I have to go back to work when Mehkelti is 12 weeks old, and she will be going into care.

And its not like I work so I can have a big house, expensive car etc - we have a crappy old magna (yes only one car) and we live in a house that was made in the 60's and is falling apart around our ears. However, we brought in the cheapest suburb on the coast, and it wasn't the most expensive house (obviously).

I'm not complaining, thats just the way that our life is. So even if they made it a fortnightly payment like maternity leave payment, I would still have to go back to work at the same time, because I can't make it stretch enough to cover the mortgage repayments..

(Did that make sense? Sleep deprivation is ruling this house at the moment... )