Did taking additional time off after baby negatively impact your career?

I got laid off while pregnant. We had saved a large emergency fund and we decided I would not search for work (it’s what I wanted and my husband was aligned). I continued to network and interview for a few months until I tapped out in the 3rd trimester.

Baby is here now & while I don’t have a desire to look for work just yet, it’s on my mind. I get messages from recruiters usually weekly on LinkedIn and I respond to make connections for later.

I’ve never been out of work for any reason, so I’ve never looked for work after an extended period of unemployment. For US mom specifically, was it hard to jump back into the market after a “longer“ break? I know most of us who get paid leave may get 3-4 months, 6 months at really generous companies. 12+ months is unheard of. As of now, I’d like to return to work when my baby is 12 months. If I return when my baby turns 1, it’ll be 15 months out of work for me. Having been laid off, I know I can lean into that a bit if needed while interviewing, as I know people who also got laid off and it took a year or longer to find work again.

Some financial context:

- My husband and I pool all of our money. It’s all mine & it’s all his. I do have some accounts in my name and my “own money“ but in essence, we share.

- During this time, the money I’ve brought in has been severance, unemployment, and now pregnancy disability pay; we have not spent all of this yet. We haven’t had to touch our savings so far and we’re 4 months into my lay off. We don’t want to touch it at all. If we cannot make it until my baby is 1 years old, then I’ll look for some type of work sooner (maybe part time work on weekends and/or contract work in my field).

- Because my husband’s job and field is new, we don’t yet know if we can live on his income (without the money I’ve brougut in due to unemployment & pregnancy). He also earns commission, which obviously changes each month. Not enough time has passed for us to get an average just yet

- I have a Rollover Roth in my name & we’re figuring out how to make some small contributions while I’m out of work. My husband was out of work as well, is older than me, and has less saved, so we just made a one-time contribution to help him start catching up first.

- My earning potential is considered “high” compared to my education level and years of experience & currently higher than my husband’s (though that could change as he entered a new, higher paying field last year). My base salary was a low 6 figures after taxes and deductions.