Returning to work and childcare options for parents of twins, triplets or more
Juggling family and work commitments for any mother is a tough task. For
mums of twins, triplets or more, it can seem overwhelming. Linda Jones
explores
the options...
Forward planning
As soon as you find yours is a multiple pregnancy, it’s a good idea to start
thinking about what your plans are. While the mum of a single baby can afford to debate whether going back to work is
the best move for her and her baby, many mums of multiples have no say – the sheer
cost of childcare means it is out of the question.
Women stay at home because they cannot afford double or triple sets of childminder
or nursery
fees and would not consider asking relatives
or friends to cope with the demands of more than one baby at a time.
Former PA Debbie McCormack is mum to five-year-old Matthew and twins Luke and Dominic,
aged two-and-a-half. She says: "My life is on hold, I would like to go back but can’t because of
childcare costs. I can’t rely on their grandparents as I don’t want to be
responsible for my children giving somebody else a headache."
Most mums of twins work part-time, because of the cost of childcare and the toll that
looking after two small children outside paid working hours has on your energy levels.
While they may be ambitious for career advancement, the final decision often comes down
to what is realistic – and, for many, working full-time is not.
Working part-time
Teacher Helen Mudd is mum to three-year-old twins Hannah and Adam. She returned to work
for just one day a week when her children were six months old. Helen employs a nanny to
come to her house on the day she works. She says: "As soon as we found out I was
expecting twins, we knew there was no way I could go back to work full time.
"I probably end up with about £30 a day."
"With a nanny, the children have much less disruption, I can go to work knowing
they are still in familiar surroundings and can have their naps in their own beds and so
on.
"It works out the same cost as paying a child minder for both of them and a bit
cheaper than a nursery."
Returning to work full-time
Although returning full-time work is not the norm, it is possible, as Sara
Higginbotham, mum to Aiden and James, now two, shows. She says her sons are looked after by a "marvellous nanny" and she knows they
are content because of minimum disruption.
Sara, a sales consultant, says: "You do not have to be extremely wealthy to employ
a nanny. Nannies also work for everyday working families – especially when they have
twins or triplets."
Yet the experience of play development officer Tracey Cawthra, mum to Jack and Sam,
aged two, is typical. She went back to work full-time when the boys were eight months but has since cut her
hours to part-time so she can see more of them. She says: "I feel better than I have done since before I was pregnant. I have the
best of both worlds – time with my family and time to be an adult and work."
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