Some women find that when they return to work, they need to change their work schedules. There are a variety of options available to you if you're considering this.

Changing Your Hours

If you work shifts, you may consider changing your shift to allow you to spend more time with your baby during the day. If you work in a business where there are no set business hours, you may be able to change your work hours to better fit your family's needs, but only if it meets with your supervisor's approval.

Changing Your Job Arrangement

As discussed in Chapter 10, two other options available to you are job-sharing and flex-time. Job-sharing allows you and another person to share the duties and hours of one job. Flex-time allows you to work the same amount of hours, but at flexible times. Both of these options are very family friendly and may allow you needed flexibility, but they require the approval of your supervisor.

Some women find that having a baby is an impetus for a career change, such as going part-time for a few years, taking a different position that may be more family-friendly, or changing companies to one that is more family focused. Other women find that having a baby creates a shift in their priorities. They may stay in the same job with the same hours, but they find that their baby has become the most important thing.