When Hande Cater made the decision to go back to working five days a week alongside her relatively new role as mum, she noticed that she was in a bit of a grey area: most mothers she knew worked part time or inside of the home and most full time workers were not parents. Or if they were, they were likely to be the secondary caregiver. And as we know, that's normally the dad. There weren’t many people around her who balanced five days of paid work with the 24 hours a day, seven days a week role of parenting and as a result, she didn’t have many places to turn to when it came to making work, work alongside motherhood. Here, we talk the loneliness and judgement that exists within this grey area, why working four days a week wasn't exactly working for her, and the anxieties mothers face when it comes to parental leave and the return to work. THIS WEEK'S PARTNER  This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by us, Ready or Not! We've created three beautiful, practical and comprehensive guides in consultation with the experts in their fields, starting with Breastfeeding and Returning to Work, Postpartum and Return to Work Planning and Childcare 101. Shop the Go To Guides here: readyornot.au --- Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here.