Does anyone work full-time from home?

[mohop]

Sorry; I didn't know if this goes here or in the "stay at home moms" boards.

I'm having my first baby in June. I have a professional degree and may have the opportunity to work full-time from home starting in September. I'm really excited about the opportunity (full-time salary, but I get to stay with the baby), but I have no idea how it will actually work out. I'm wondering if anyone else is or has been in a similar situation and has any tips for getting work done with a baby around. I do have my mother and MIL in town for times when I will need babysitting (meetings, deadlines, etc), and have a spare bedroom that I can set up as a home office. But I'm concerned about getting work done during "work hours" and being able to leave work alone on evenings & weekends.

Any thoughts anyone has on making full-time work from home successful would be appreciated.

[maine06]

There are a few women here that work at home FT, but, they don't frequent this area much...

[swannie]

I work full-time but am allowed to telecommute 3 days/week. I do have to be "on call" and productive during regular business hours, though, so my son goes to daycare. I also pick up freelance work to make extra money.

Honestly, I have to say that without someone watching your baby for at least some of the hours each day, you will probably really struggle to be productive. If you would be able/willing to sacrifice some night/weekend hours down the line (once he's sleeping nights) to work and spend time with him during the day, that could work. But otherwise, you'll need some help!

Good luck and congrats on your impending arrival! Feel free to post here again with more specific questions, if you have any, or even send me a PM if you want. :)

[shelily]

I work from home full time, but my company has strict policies about not doing personal stuff during working hours, so my son is in daycare. I have my office set up in one room of our house. I am very disciplined on not letting household chores distract me during working hours and I do not have any issues with working too much. My boss doesn't like to pay overtime, so I just put in my 9 hours a day and that's it. I do not set foot in my work office on my days off.

Working from home has been a big adjustment and I'm not really enjoying it. I'm a people person and miss having that interaction. I interact with people on the phone, but it's just not the same. I'm probably going to be looking for a new job sometime soon. I'm still deciding about that. I have good benefits and lots of vacation time with my company. I've been with them for 18 years, so I may try to stick it out until I reach the 20 year mark.

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival.

[mohop]

Thanks for the responses. This is all going to be new to me, so I'm not sure how it will work out. Like I said, I have my mom and MIL to help with childcare, but I was hoping not to need to rely on them everyday. Luckily, the lady I'm going to work for (if all turns out well) raised two kids while having her own home-based law practice, so I'm sure she will also have some tips for me. Please continue with the advice if you have any!