Hi, I'm due back to work on Wednesday and am erally anxious about it. I will be working 2x24 hour shifts a week (they are classed as 16hours on the rota as we sleep in work during the night). They start at 9am and i finish at 9.30am the next day. The plan is for me to drop my 8 month old son at the childminder at 8.30am and his dad (my ex) will collect him at 4 and keep him overnight and I will collect him the next morning. This will be happening twice per week. In theory, it sounds like it is doable as it means I get to do my whole 32 hour week in 2 days, I can be with my son 5 days. He has to see his dad anyway, so may as well be doing it while im workign instead of takign time away that we could be sharing.

However, I am just really anxious it will be too much in one day, a full day with a childminder, who he has only been with a few times up to now for a few hours, and then after all that not even coming home to his mummy and going to his own wee bed but up to his dad and staying over, which he has only done once. Im just worried that going from childminder to dad is too much and not seeing me at all in the whole 24 hour period. I just don't know what to do and am starting to get really anxious and terarful at the thought of leaving him so long.

What do you think? Would you do it?

Those sound like some pretty crazy hours to me! But if that enables you to have your baby for 5 days straight, that's amazing. Can you handle those hours? I think the LO will be fine with the sitter and your ex. They adapt quite easily. It will be hardest on you.

do you have time, to set up a sort of dry run to see how he does before you go back? that way if there are any hiccups you arnt leaving work?