ABSTRACT
Financial worries or fears of job loss conspire to drive many women to an early return to work. Some women find their self-esteem needs validating through work and fear losing their identity. At three months, mother and baby are still in the exciting stages of exchanging smiles, looks and sounds. There are many practical aspects to deciding whether or not to return to work, but the emotional ones are key. Decisions about what work and how many hours are often made according to what childcare is available and affordable. Most parents surveyed claim high satisfaction with the childcare they have. The ongoing process of individuation, of becoming a separate self, is complex. Negotiating working part time is one of the most successful ways in which mothers can have both the outside stimulation of work and the pleasures of being with their children.
