You can always go back to work later, but you can never turn back time to spend it with your baby. I have three kids and stayed home, I worked occasionally, mostly parttime and for short periods of time. I also did a lot of volunteering.

Jobs are always going to be out there, maybe not always super easy to find, but your child will only be little once. I worked in daycare, and we saw childrens first steps, heard first words, while their mom did whatever at work. You won't miss what you didn't do at work when you are old, but if you don't spend time with your child, you will regret it...Sally

Congratulations!

I am so excited that you're having your first child! It's such an exciting time for both of you!

Okay, so what kind of disability are you out on? Is it something that's going to affect how often you can work after the baby's born or the kind of work you can do?

What is your monthly car payment? I'm guessing somewhere around $400 with that figure, maybe closer to $500. How much is your mortgage? Around $1,300? Is it just a conventional mortgage or do you have a first and a second, ARM, HELOC, or what? Generally speaking house prices go up in value so if it's down right now because of the economy that's not too big of a deal unless you absolutely have to sell, then you might take a bit of a hit. Otherwise, you should be able to ride it out.

I'm all for you staying home with your child, but I think that you have to do that in such a way that it's not going to hurt you and your new family. Without knowing the specifics, I might suggest that you talk to your boss and ask what can be done about you working part time for a bit after baby is born. Then you'll be able to go back in to full time if need be, or you can just stay part time (or even come home if that's what you truly want). They'll be more receptive to discussing it with you now versus later when they're anxious for you to come back and you're recovering from the delivery!

You do need to start pricing different local day care centers now - get an idea of what they cost a month and perhaps see if any of them are willing to offer any discounts if you pay at the first of the month or in cash, or something along those lines. Also, you guys need to be saving as much money as you possibly can right now in case something goes wrong. You want to have a "Baby Emergency Fund" in case you need it - that way you don't have to put it on your credit card or incur other debt that won't even give you the option of staying home.

While you're pricing day care centers, do the same thing with the local hospitals. You'd be surprised how many will offer discounts if you pay beforehand and/or with cash. Plus it takes the stress off when you go to check out and the first couple months after baby is born because you don't have to worry about receiving bills in the mail that you forgot about. (You should know what your insurance will cover by now and what they won't so this will make it easier for you when negotiating with the hospitals.)

I'm sorry I can't give you more information, but without the specifics my hands are kind of tied.

If you'd like to PM me, I'd be more than happy to pass along more info.

Either way, congratulations and make sure to get as much sleep as you can starting now! You'll need it!

Ashley