Should I resign or go back early from maternity leave?
Deciding whether to return early from maternity leave or resign involves balancing the intense guilt and anxiety of going back too soon with the financial pressure of health insurance premiums and the desire to avoid burning bridges at work. Many mothers feel torn between wanting precious extra time with their newborn and fearing the chaotic workload waiting for them upon return.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1sticking it out for the rest of the year
- 2Returning to work early despite feeling unready
- 3Checking district policies regarding unpaid leave, sick days, and FMLA
- 4Evaluating the impact of unpaid leave on health insurance coverage
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am torn between just feeling like I need to go back/ not wanting to upset anyone at work but also wanting to get that one month of extra time with my first baby girl.”source ↗
“I didn’t because of the same reasons you listed and struggled tremendously with intense anxiety and guilt returning earlier than I was ready for.”source ↗
“Anyway, I would like to take my maternity leave a little early and don’t know how to go about doing that.”source ↗
“And finally, would it be possible to resign when I come back without burning bridges and be able to return when things aren’t so chaotic?”source ↗
“Once I saw the health insurance premium, I ended up going back at 12 weeks with our first child.”source ↗