Depressed Moms

I think there are a lot of stay-at-home moms who basically work full-time with little to no breaks. That has to be hard. I know it was challenging when I was home on maternity leave. It can really test your patience if you are around your kids 24-7. I know that sounds bad, but it's true. I am not saying I wouldn't do it, I just think it's really hard. Kudos to those of you who are great moms who have made staying at home work for your family. Here's proof it's not easy on you physically or mentally. You deserve a break!

FROM NBC: Working is good for a mother's brain -- unless she tries to wear the "supermom" cape. Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle studied survey responses from sixteen hundred married mothers.

They found working moms were less likely to show signs of depression than those who stayed home, unless the woman thought she had to excel at both home and work. Women who were able to let some things slide -- like giving away bake sale duty or limiting work hours -- had the best mental health.

Symptoms of depression include: difficulty concentrating, feeling lonely or sad and having trouble sleeping. Women who pressured themselves to be overachievers at work -- and home -- were less happy.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Working Moms don't need to worry

I am always glad to hear research supporting moms who work-mainly because I work, of course! I think being a stay-at-home mom is harder! It's like a job that never ends. I am certainly not saying I wouldn't do it, but I do think it's really challenging. I am glad to know my kids won't turn out to be little devils because I work! If they are evil, there is some other reason-ha!

FROM NBC: A study led by researchers at the International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health, at the University College London found when mom has to work to bring home the bacon -- it seems kids are no worse for the wear. An analysis of data from UK researchers finds no detrimental effects on children's social or emotional development if their mothers work during their early years. Previous research has suggested that mothers who work generally have higher education, income levels and are less likely to be depressed.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Bad for Working Moms

This stinks-more guilt for working moms like me. Boo! I actually haven't really found what this study says to be true. My kids don't seem to be any sicker than other kids. I don't really have any proof, but it doesn't seem like it. How about you? If you work, are your kids sicker than the kids who have stay at home moms or vice versa?

FROM NBC: If you're a working mom, it may have an impact on your child's health. A new study reveals that kids of moms who work outside the home are more likely to be sick. 22-month old Sadie Woodruff and her 3-year-old brother, Cooper because their mom Carol doesn't work outside the home, they're likely to be healthier according to a new study. Carol Woodruff: Mom "They've had their runny noses and they catch their colds just like the others but i do know other children they do get sicker a little more often than them."

A North Carolina State uUniversity researcher looked at 89-thousand kids ages 7 to 17 and 20 years of CDC data. among the findings: children of working moms have a 2-hundred percent increased risk of hospitalization, asthma episodes, and injuries or poisonings. Carol Woodruff: Mom: "When you're staying at home with them, you're more likely to stay on top of them." This is nurse practitioner Kristi Wittingham's day off. Not working is not an option for her.

Kristi Wittingham:Mom "A lot of people these days have to work. it's a way of life to survive and provide for your kids that you have and enjoy, you have to work." Dominick started preschool last year. Gavin's only five months old. His dad and grandmother take care of him at home. even so... Kristi Wittingham:Mom"As soon as I went back to work, I did see a change in the kids. they did seem more sensitive to germs and the normal common cold."

In her practice, Dr. Ivette Cubas of Pediatric Associates hasn't encountered what the study finds. Dr. Ivette Cubas, Pediatrician: "I don't think it's necessarily that I've seen kids of working moms versus non-working moms are more prone to hospitalization or injuries. I don't think i've seen that in my experience." Dr. Cubas is concerned the study could increase guilt for working moms. It's important to mention that other studies have found children of working mothers are actually healthier because increased incomes and better health insurance coverage.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Should Moms be Working Full-time?

There are certainly times when I wish I was a stay at home mom. Other days I wish I worked part-time. I do think it's hard for most families to survive on one income, especially if you are used to living on a dual income. I struggle with what to do every day. I am obviously not going to work nights when all my kids are in school. That would be torture to miss out on their childhood and only see them on the weekends. I know a lot of moms struggle with this. I wish there was an easy answer.

At least if you decide to work full-time, you can be assured you aren't damaging your kids-according to this new study!

FROM NBC: A new study challenges prior research suggesting full-time working mothers are harming their child's development. Researchers at Columbia University found infants raised by mothers with full-time jobs did score slightly lower on cognitive tests -- but these children had other advantages.

Working mothers had higher income and were more likely to seek high-quality childcare -- and they were found to be more responsive to their children than stay at home moms.

Moms working part-time had no negative effect on their children's cognitive scores -- nor did working full time after the first year of her child's life. The report is based on data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Women Work Hours

I completely think this is true. My husband used to work 60 hours a week, sometimes more. I totally thought about downsizing our minivan and our house ( not that they are extravagant by any means) and quitting my job. I didn't like that we weren't home with the kids every night. I still don't like that I am not home at night and I do have to work 10 hours more a week now (which stinks), but it does make me feel better that my hubby is at home with the kids at night instead of a babysitter. It's tough being a dual income family! Do you and your husband work? How is that working for you?

FROM NBC: A woman's career may be derailed if her husband works long hours. Cornell researchers looked at data on more than 26-thousand employees in dual-income households.

Overall -- women were more likely to quit their jobs when their husbands worked more than 60 hours a week. The likelihood of quitting was even greater among working mothers.

Researchers found that working women still carried much of the burden of household cleaning, cooking and caregiving duties... and didn't have as much time for paid work. Men's careers didn't seem impacted at all by the amount of time their wives spent at the office. they were no more likely to quit whether their wives worked 5 or 50 hours per week.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Stay-at-home moms go to work

Moms who choose to stay-at-home with their kids are having to change the family dynamic. What would you do if you husband lost his job? With all the lay-offs happening lately, it's a scary reality.

From ABC:

From Wall Street to Main Street, the slumping economy is being felt everywhere. The reality is forcing many families to make tough choices and even forcing some stay-at-home moms back to the workforce.

Working at a Maryland hospital is how Anne Calladonato spends most of her day, but at home is where she used to work and where she'd like to be now. She said, "Everything's gone up, from milk to diapers to gas, to our electric bill, and so I needed to go back to work and I didn't necessarily want to but it was almost like we didn't have a choice. We laid out the bills and we said, our options aren't many."

This stay-at-home mom of two turned working mom after three years away. Calladonato says she had to because the household income dropped by more than 60-thousand dollars, virtually overnight. My husband's job was alleviated, and it was two weeks before our second child was born. And granted he found a job quickly, but it was significantly less salary.

The Calladonatos aren't alone. The latest Labor Department numbers show the unemployment rate spiked to just over 6 percent in August, an increase for the eighth straight month. What you're looking at these days is all kinds of working mothers perhaps going from part time to full time work, or perhaps taking on a kind of moonlighting job at night or on the weekend.

And that is extremely hard on families. Experts say stay-at-home moms trying to re-enter the work force face an extra challenge: the longer they've been out, the less they make when they jump back in.

The reality is that it's hard to get back in. For instance if you're a college grad, you actually lose about 37 percent of your earning power if you take 3 years out. That's the case for the Calladonatos. Anne is making less now than she used to. But she's keeping it in perspective. "I mean, life changes, you just have to accept it, and you have to try to make the best of it," she said.

Is anyone struggling with this? I know my bills have gone up significantly and I'm at Wal-Mart instead of Kroger and Schnucks a lot more often!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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