I'm having a chat with my boss over the next few days about my maternity leave. She's been really good about it, not wanting me to feel rushed to make any decisions. However it's good for both of us to at least have an initial chat about where my head is at so if there is any preparation we can do now it will help when I do go on my maternity leave. I'm the office manager and keep the place ticking over. Given the nature of our office, my experience and my relationship with my boss, it's not a wide group of people that could fill my position.

However I'm not sure where I am at... There are conflicting thoughts in my head...

How did you go about making your decisions?

My thoughts about work...
- I like to work. I worry that if I don't work my brain will go mushy.
- I like my job. I work at a reasonably senior level and get to make a difference to people in so many ways. It's also a big deal that my boss trusts me to run the office, given she doesn't really trust people easily.
- Next year is a REALLY BIG YEAR for our office. I don't want to let the team down by being away for the pointy end of what we've been working towards for 3 years.

However...
- I want to breastfeed
- I want to spend at least 6 months at at home with baby full time
- I want to have another baby reasonably soon after the first, so it's unlikely I'll return to full time work in the near future

Husbands view...
- He wants me to keep my options open.
- He is open to me not going back to work at all

$$ view...
- I get 12 weeks mat leave on full pay
- I will probably take that at half pay, so will be 24 weeks
- We can afford to drop down to husbands wage
- I don't want to feel that I am not contributing financially to the family

So there we go. So many things floating around to take into consideration.