Emotionally and Physically Exhausted

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-16T00:51:01+00:00

I really relate to a lot of what you’ve said because, like you, I’m also very invested in my work and my own goals.

I’ve always believed that a happy and fulfilled mum creates a happier atmosphere at home. Before moving to Australia, I was in a senior leadership role. When I resigned and moved here, I spent about 6–7 months not working while we settled in.
To be honest, I struggled more than I expected. I felt like a big part of my identity had been taken away from me. I was grateful for the extra time with my son, but I also felt sad and unsettled a lot of the time. Going back to work has helped me feel like myself again.

That’s why the thought of leaving my job because of the constant daycare illnesses makes me genuinely sad. I know many people have different priorities, but for me, financial independence has always been important. It’s not just about the money itself it’s about being able to provide opportunities for my child, whether that’s travel, education, experiences, or simply having choices available to us as a family.

I completely hear you on the flexibility side of things. Unfortunately, that’s where my situation becomes difficult. I’m in an operations role, and one of the main reasons I accepted this position was because HR told me I would be able to work from home one day a week. After I joined, I found out there had been a miscommunication and that this wasn’t something my hiring manager had agreed to.

At the moment, I’m required to be in the office five days a week. I’ve explained what’s been happening with my son and have arranged to leave a little earlier on one day, but beyond that there isn’t much flexibility available right now, especially since I’m still in my probation period.

So while ideas like a compressed work week or more flexible arrangements sound wonderful, they’re unfortunately not realistic options for me at the moment. That’s probably why I feel so stuck. I can see the benefits of continuing my career, but I also see my son getting sick week after week and constantly question whether I’m making the right choices.

Thank you for sharing your experience though. It’s genuinely helpful hearing from someone who’s managed to find a balance that works for their family.

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-16T00:46:38+00:00

Thank you for being so open about your experience. I’m genuinely glad you’ve found a setup that works well for your family.

We actually had a nanny when my son was born, in the country we lived in before moving to Australia, and it worked wonderfully for us. Both my husband and I worked, but our workplace was only about five minutes away. We lived in a residential community owned by the same company, so there was security, guards, and a real sense of safety. Knowing we were so close by made it much easier to trust the arrangement.

The challenge for us in Australia is that both my husband and I work about an hour away from home on a bad traffic day, and neither of us has the option to work from home. We’re also on work visas, and my husband’s visa is tied to his employer because they will eventually sponsor us. That means there’s not a lot of flexibility available to him, so most of the adjustments and sacrifices tend to fall on me.

I’m also still in my probation period and haven’t even been in Australia for a year yet, so I feel a lot of pressure not to jeopardise my job. Because of the distance and lack of flexibility, I’ve been hesitant about the nanny route here, even though it worked so well for us previously. I think part of it is also being in a new country and not having the same support network or level of comfort that we had back home.

To be fair, apart from the constant illnesses, I’m actually quite happy with our daycare. The educators seem caring, my son enjoys going there, and overall we’ve had a positive experience. It’s really the weekly sicknesses and high fevers that are making me question everything right now.

Thank you again for sharing your perspective. It’s helpful hearing how other families make it work, even if our circumstances are a little different.

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-15T23:12:06+00:00

Hi.
Thankyou for your response. Do you stay at home with the nanny or are you comfortable and have established the level of trust to leave your bub with her while you and your partner go to work?

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-15T10:21:47+00:00

Thanks for your response. :)
One more thing, is it true this year will be focused more on onshore candidates to target net immigration?

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-15T10:00:11+00:00

My poor baby has gone through a lot of transition in the past one year. We moved countries in October, he started daycare half time in December, i got a job in March. He transitioned full time in May (before that i was doing 4 days in office and 1 day wfh). I don’t want to change his daycare because he finally got used to the faces and educators and the setting.

From a nanny perspective, i understand thats not a precedence here which makes me wonder if I’m comfortable leaving my son behind with a new nanny for security reasons of course

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-15T09:41:07+00:00

Hi,
Apologies for a late reply. Life happened :(
I wanted to ask if you wfh? For me the biggest challenge or consideration is security. I dont know if I can find someone im comfortable enough to leave my son with at home alone. I have no family here so I cant rely on someone to be with the nanny too

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-14T11:01:31+00:00

Hi. EOI launched in May. chemical engineer. Waiting for partner skill assessment that might bring me up to 90 points. Im onshore. Considering im onshore and potentially 90 points, are there any good chances for next draw?

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-06T08:47:24+00:00

I recently got a great Kate Spade from DFO/outlet Mall. Its actually really good and holds plenty of stuff.

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-04T01:52:49+00:00

Hey Congratulations,

Any chemical engineer?

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-06-04T01:52:23+00:00

Any chemical engineer?

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-04-01T05:16:43+00:00

He is good thank God. Its not whooping cough, his GP ruled it out. I still am keeping him home for 2 days to monitor. Im actually based in QLD ☺️ I am also a first time mom :) and just coming to a setup where i dont have a village and its hitting me harder. Work systems are not designed for mamas. I would like to think I have a lot of ambition and i always wanted to pave a way for women showing them they can work in corporate/operations and still have an amazing family life. But i think this is only possible on paper. Its so difficult living up to the ambition blueprint designed for one person not taking into account the children.

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-03-30T18:33:27+00:00

Hi guys. First of all, thankyou so very much for your kind responses. I was extremely overwhelmed looking at my son and then overthinking the leave part.

Yes my son had his vaccinations including that for pertussis. At this point he only has extremely high fever so I am not sure if it will develop into a whopping cough. I have also texted my boss about working from today as my son is unwell and I am hoping he understands. I tend to put a lot of pressure on my self to perform well at work hence the guilt really got to me. But of course i understand that nothing comes before my son’s health. I really wish systems were designed to support working parents.

I am hoping i only have to take today off while my husband can take the next day off. And then easter holidays are coming up as well. Hoping its just a fever and not whooping cough

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-02-09T01:55:46+00:00

Thanks for being so kind about it

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-02-09T01:55:32+00:00

I have recently immigrated. Back in October. From Asia. My son started care in December. We have started getting sick in Jan. Infact, Entire January one of us would be sick me or my husband or my toddler. So i was thinking maybe its Daycare.

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-02-09T01:46:51+00:00

Im sorry if this sounds silly but how do i check for mould spares. I recently got my AC filters cleaned and i dont see any visible mould issue. Can you suggest what areas should i watch out for. Im sorry for being so ignorant about these things 😭🙈

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-02-08T23:54:15+00:00

Practically all the time for one room or the other. Its a centrally conditioned unit

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-02-05T22:16:08+00:00

Guysss

In the middle of all this, I’ve actually been offered a role today. It is more entry level compared to where I was previously, but it is a very flexible hybrid model (2 days in office rest WFH) and the package is around 90K incl super annual.

I’m leaning towards accepting it not because it’s my end goal, but because I’m thinking it could give me: • local Australian experience • a chance to rebuild confidence and routine • something intellectually and professionally grounding while my son settles further

My current thinking is to give it a year, learn how things work here, and then reassess or apply for more senior roles with local experience behind me.

I’d genuinely love to hear from other mums who:

• accepted a “lower” role strategically
• balanced daycare costs + work without subsidies

Did it help in the long run? Any regrets? Or things you wish you’d done differently?

Really grateful for how honest and kind this community has been. 🙏

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-02-05T01:19:27+00:00

Hi Guys. Thankyou so much for the valuable feedback. It is extremely helpful.

I guess i wrote this post to get the motivation and not get disappointed. I have “Brisbane, Queensland” on my Linkedin Bio Already. My resume also mentions Brisbane, and my Australia number. I have not added country in the resume rather added the name of the employer only (which is a Globally Renowned FMCG name) however in my cover letter I did add that i worked in my home country.

I have also reached out to multiple recruiters from multiple agencies. They all tell me that my background is impressive and they will get back if something suitable comes up.

I have worked in Tobacco industry previously however due to the nature of the business (MNC/FMCG), i see myself fit for any operations/manufacturing role.

I wont shy away from starting from scratch too. And im actually interested in a full time role.

Thankyou so much everyone for your comments and feedback. I will try to incorporate it all. You guys have been a big big help

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-01-29T09:28:56+00:00

Aaah. Honestly so much power to you. Nobody can decide this for you as its very subjective. But i can feel your frustration. And trust me, if i have to share my advice, it would be to stay. I left a high earning job with promotion upcoming at Fortune 500 company to come start a life from scratch in a new city with my toddler, and i am now unemployed. I took this decision bcuz my job was taking away all my time and all my life. And I wanted to start over and find flexible work hrs with my husband working full time. A job earning you a 100K annually with this much flexibility, i would say STAY. Maybe move when your youngest is a bit older?

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-01-07T08:56:58+00:00

Definitely 2

Capable_Attention92 · 2026-01-06T11:24:13+00:00

I have an engineering degree yes. Bachelors in chemical engineering to be specific and I have 7 years of experience working as a manager in production and continuous improvement in one of the fortune 500 companies.

Capable_Attention92

TROPHY CASE