I missed Triskeliongirl's second post. Pumping at my workplace is not an inviting prospect; the few people who have attempted it have given it up in short order. And, to be honest, I'm not that dedicated. That is the breaking point I see for a lot of working mothers: demanding job, demanding hours, baby in daycare ... but it's pumping three times a day that kills them. If I couldn't work during that time I'd have to work longer hours to make it up, and I am just not willing to do that.

We have family daycare available but it would not work if I keep my regular job, because I have to be there every day for a certain number of hours. Working at home I can make the same amount of money (factoring in self-employment taxes, COBRA payments, retirement contributions, and the few business expenses you incur in my particular line of work) with 25 billable hours per week, which I can do with a couple of days of grandparent care and some trading off with my husband. If I go back to work, it has to be full-time (part-time and flex-time aren't options, and I have to be there after five p.m. fairly often which also makes daycare difficult), and it's at least double what I need to do at home.

So it's kind of a no-brainer. Especially since I left out the fact that the administrative part of my job -- the part I'm going to be walking away from entirely -- is boring and maddening and makes me think about quitting at least once a day.

And that's where balance comes in, and why I liked Triskeliongirl's first post so much. I don't want my daughter to think that she has to give up anything else she wants in life if she decided to have a child, but I also don't want her to think that a working life needs to be joyless and crushing and all-or-nothing.