Great thread! I'm going back to work in January (my son will be 10 months) and am dreading it to the point that I have nightly insomnia (worries about my childcare, being the first to leave the office every evening etc). As I'm the main breadwinner (my partner will still need to work 5 days a week) I feel I have no choice but to go back. The industry I work in (graphic design) thrives on a long hours culture where 12 hour days plus are extremely common. Although my bosses have agreed that I can leave at 5pm in theory I have huge doubts about how this will work in practice. Perhaps a thick skin is order of the day!