One of the many issues that women face when having children, is the anxiety about whether to go back to work full time. There are many issues to think about.

Financial - Income versus Outgoings

The main obvious and important factor affecting this decision is financial. There will be concern about whether you can afford to give up your income and cope with living on just your partner's wage. If you're a single mother, or living on a low income, it maybe that you have no choice in this matter at all. Only you and your partner can decide what is right for you. Are you able to make cut backs in your lifestyle that will accommodate living from one income, or is it important to you that you still have holidays and an active social life throughout the year?

You will also need to balance income against outgoings that you might face on going back to work e.g. who will look after your child?

Time Spent With Your Baby

Many women cannot bear the thought of being separated from their baby. A lot of women have recognised that their feelings completely change from when they are pregnant through to actually having their child. It's therefore important to realise that your views may well change once the baby arrives!

Making the decision to return to work is often a very painful dilemma. New mums worry and feel incredible guilt about leaving their baby. Try to remember that if you do have to return to work that it will be you who will be more upset rather than your baby.

Career and Independence

Some women worry that time spent out on maternity leave will affect the career that they have worked so hard to achieve. Other new mums are often concerned that if they give up their work they will lose their independence and don't like the thought of relying on their partner for money. Both factors will have an influence on whether you return to work and also the type of work that you do. If you are considering not going back to work immediately, make sure you constantly talk openly and honestly with your partner so that you can overcome feelings of losing your wage and financial independence.

Getting Back to Work

If for whatever reasons you have made the decision that you want to or will need to work, the next steps can be just as daunting. First of all take time out to consider all of your options. Consider:

Part time work
Job sharing with another person
Working some days from home
Flexible working hours, which may help with childcare arrangements
Even setting up your own business

You might decide that you don't want to return to your old job but you still want to find work. It will help to create an action plan. Taking small manageable steps will make the process less daunting and will help ease you back into the work place. Set yourself an overall goal and timeframe. For example - I want to be back in part time work within three months. Then set smaller goals such as updating your C.V, visiting job agencies and preparing for interviews etc. Other aspects may well boost your confidence to help you. Think about taking a refresher course. Do some research on the Internet into your industry and what is going on in your field so that you can have some confidence in yourself when you go for interviews.

Make a change for yourself to mark the "new you" e.g. new hairstyle, outfit (e.g. if you're a mum returning to work after having a baby, you might have been used to wearing more comfortable / casual clothes when looking after your baby and rushing around etc. - so perhaps a new outfit for the office to give you a business image), so you can make a transformation from mum to professional.

If you decide that this is the perfect time for you to change career and move into a completely different area of work, then consider the following:

Are there any costs involved in re-training?
Think about what skills are transferable. E.g. Managing people, working with the public, managing a budget.
Talk to someone with expertise in that field, that can give you some advice and may help you find a way into that line of work.
Whatever thoughts or views you have about working mums, it is something of a balancing act. You need to weigh up the factors of money, time, independence, career and social support. There is no right or wrong answer as everyone's views and situations are different.

To find out more about dealing with changes in your life and for help in creating a life that you love, visit www.horizonsregained.com