stlmomsworld.com - Kay Quinn

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Stay-At-Home Versus Working Moms

Stay-at-home or return to work after the baby comes? It's one of the hottest topics on this web site. And if you're like me, it was the hardest decision you ever made.
My son was born six years ago. After nine months of pregnancy, the doctor put my baby in my arms, and I fell in love in ways I never knew were possible. How would I ever put him down, let alone go back to work after maternity leave?
There are so many complicated decisions that need to be made, whether you decide to stay home or go back to work. There's your own childhood experience. My mother was a loving, nurturing stay-at-home mom who left her career as a nurse to care for me and my siblings. There are the expectations of your spouse and your family. The list goes on.
Each and every situation is different for each and every Mom. I would never begin to question the decision of another Mom when it comes to this.
As for my decision, I can definitely say returning to work was difficult. Not just emotionally, but it's also physically demanding.
It has gotten easier over the years. The bottom line is, I love my job, and I love my son, husband and family. While I returned to work full-time after maternity leave, it's still the hardest decision I ever made. But I don't look at it as my job somehow "winning out." My family will always come first, no matter how many hours I spend at work each week.

¶ 7:47 PM

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Name: Kay Quinn

Location: St. Louis, MO

ABOUT ME

Health and medical issues make up one of the most exciting beats in the newsroom. Few other areas of news touch each and every one of us so closely and so often.

Whether you're a senior worried about paying for prescription drugs, a parent concerned about the health of a child or waging your own fight against cancer or heart disease, you can usually find health news that applies to you in my daily reports.

I always tell St. Louisans they are so fortunate when it comes to health care. Our city is home to two research hospitals.

Doctors and scientists at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis University School of Medicine are involved in some of the most critical research underway in medicine today.

Work is bring done right at this moment, right in our area, that could lead to a vaccine for bird flu or better ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease.

I enjoy staying on top of those stories, as well as bringing you health and medical news you can use.

Along with the latest medical breakthroughs, you'll frequently find information on low-cost exercise programs right around the corner from where you live, or details on where to get this year's flu shot.

Many viewers want to know whether I have a medical background. I don't, but my mother was a nurse and I know her health background made a big impression on me as a child.

It's the lifelong curiosity and interest I have in health issues that serves me well in my work as health reporter.

Staying on top of what you need to know to stay fit and healthy is a job I love.