Being a working mum
Millions of women mix being a mum with their career every day, while others choose stay at home to be a full-time parent. "Juggling" is a familiar phrase mums use to describe balancing their lives but the development of maternity rights, paternity leave and modern attitudes towards childcare is helping women combine their mum responsibilities with their professional goals.
Every family's situation is different and the costs and practicalities of sharing or finding childcare, combined with day to day finances can be complicated. Add to this the emotional difficulties of leaving your child to return to work and it's no wonder this is such a tricky topic and one that requires plenty of forward planning and preparation.
To help you decide what's right for your family, we've looked at your childcare options and maternity rights, and have to some great tips to help you work during pregnancy, enjoy your maternity leave and get that work/life balance working for you.
Working in pregnancy
So you've just found out you're pregnant? What's next?
Feel your best with our guide to working in pregnancy
We have the answers to your practical maternity questions. - When do you tell your boss and what benefits will you get?
Is there a deadline for when you need to stop work?
What you can and can't do at work - keeping safe during pregnancy and your rights regardless of your company or position
Also handy, is our guide to when to start buying materntiy clothes and how to flatter your mum-to-be figure while keeping appropriate for work. Check out the latest celeb maternity ranges, and keep an eye on our pregnancy fashion section for the latest pregnancy trends.
Short on time? Whizz through our top 10 tips to being a working mum-to-be
Maternity leave
Find out your maternity rights, such as how long can you take off, should you stay in touch and what to do if you have a problem.
Going back to work as a mum
Have you decided whether to go back to work or not? Find out about what you're entitiled to on your return, promotions, redundancy and going part time.
If you're going back, we've got lots of tips to help you achieve a work/life balanace you're happy with. If you need some encouragement, here's our top 10 good things about being a working parent!
You also need to consider practical information about your legal rights and we have some top tips for returning to work after maternity leave
Feeding from afar - expressing & storing breast milk and helpful feeding products
If you'd like to keep feeding your baby breast milk, check out our guide to expressing and the best ways to store breast milk.
Buyers guide to breast pumps, sterilisers and feeding bottles will come in handy if as someone else will be feeding you baby. You may also be considering using formula milk if you don't already, now your baby is older.
Check out our top products for expressing and feeding on our sister site MadeForMums
Childcare
Vital to your return is how to get the right childcare so we've thought about what to consider before you investigate your childcare options and the pros and cons about various childcare choices from nurseries to nannies.
Not sure if you want to go back to work? Read our guide to choosing to be a full time mum.
