Bec, before I had Olivia and Charlie I worked as a manager within a call centre, so I had to really be on top of all current HR legislation in relation to mat leave, as the majority of our employees where women of baby making age!

Despite my company being percieved as "family friendly" when I was pregnant with my first pregnancy, my boss tried to do exactly what your boss is doing, and it made me SO mad, cos like you I felt that maybe I should just leave to keep everyone sweet. In the end, I didn't leave, and kept my options open, and I am so glad I did, because I then ended up moving to Darwin with the company, something I would never have predicted, and it was a great opportunity for me and DH personally and work wise that we never ever imagined ourselves doing!

(I have since left, but that is two babies later!)

The majority of women I know all feel similar to you: that the new stage of having a baby is so exciting that the thought of simply leaving is appealing, and easier. But the majority of women I know/have worked for me, have taken the 12 months mat leave and then considered their options when their babies are around 10 months old. The parental leave legilsation is designed to allow you to do this, and I persoanlly would take advantage of it!

From my experience with Olivia and Charlie, the way you feel about your baby and work, being a FT Mum, working PT etc etc etc really changes & varies over the months, hence I think it is best to keep your options open, and then review when your mat leave is up. This is what nearly all women did at my last company too. We had about 50% return, 50% resign after mat leave.

HTH