DD1 was 12 months old when I went back to work part-time (5 days per fortnight). I had complications from the birth, couldn't walk very far, didn't drive and was socially isolated so in hindsight, I went back for my sanity more than anything else.

The job I had was two levels below what I was doing before as a manager even though I was paid the same and I was bored to tears and tearing my hair out.

So, wanting to avoid that situation again, we rejigged our life, sold up in the city and moved to the country to give us more financial flexibility.

DD2 is almost a year old and I'm not ready to go back to work yet. I'm having too much fun at home (whole different ball game this time, I can walk, can drive and am out and about rather than being stuck in the house) and feel like I'm making up for having such a rotten time health-wise first time around.

I'm planning to hire a babysitter and start doing some freelance work from home next year. When she's two, I'll assess where that's at and if it's not looking promising, I'll be looking for a part-time job for 2-3 days per week. Three days is realistic, two days per week in my profession is VERY hard to find.