After my first son was born, I continued working 4 days a week/40-50 hours and we had a nanny come each day to our house. When I became pregnant the second time, I knew I did not want to continue working. Our nanny was awesome, but I wanted to be the primary caregiver to my kids. After our daughter was born, I tried to resign, but my boss created a job for me where I could work part-time from home, totally flexible, it was hard to say no. I can do my job while they are napping or at night, it is not at all demanding and I can do it in my sleep (not literally, of course, wouldn't that be ideal? Make money while you're sleeping!). I had a six figure salary, this change to "part-time from home" cut our income considerably. I had a really successful career but never for one second do I regret stepping aside to be home with my kids. The monetary sacrifices are totally worth it. It was a huge adjustment, no doubt financially, but for me personally, my career had totally defined me for many many years. It took a long time to adjust, sometimes I felt a little lost. I am now expecting my third and I'm not sure if I will continue to work at all. What I do know is, if you are talented, you can always return to work; great opportunities will always exist for talented women. It's worth it to try staying home. I find it incredibly rewarding and wouldn't change a thing. There's plenty of time and opportunity for working. There's only one opportunity to be there while your kids are little. At least that's how I look at it! Good luck!