“Her childcare is just shy of £1,000 a month for two days a week. Not only that, but my husband and I still haven’t managed to buy a house,” she says. “I knew I never wanted to work full-time with a small child, but we both knew I had to go back in some capacity to make sure we could get a mortgage and build up our savings again. Ultimately, everything comes down to money and giving our daughter the best we can.”

For Petra von Schalien, 34, returning to work was a given. She now has two daughters, aged two-and-a-half and five. Having worked as a TV and commercials producer up until late into her pregnancy with her first child, she knew returning was something she wanted to do.

“I remember being on set in the first trimester and having a real moment of thinking, ‘I’ll miss this.’ I texted my partner saying, ‘I can’t imagine leaving this behind. I don’t know what I’ll feel later, but I know how I feel right now.’ I really struggled with the emotional rollercoaster and guilt. I knew returning to work was something I needed to do – not just financially, it was something I wanted. My ambitions hadn’t dimmed. The reality was that I missed my baby, desperately. Finding a balance was key. I didn’t want my only choices to be missing bedtime all week long or doing nothing outside the home at all.”

Feeling torn in different directions is a common thread among many mothers and one that Tanya, Lauren and Petra have all felt in some way or another. But as Petra says: “There is no wrong choice, nor one that makes me a worse or better mum. I have to do the thing that feels the most aligned with my gut at that moment. Maybe I change careers. Maybe I take more time and stay at home and regroup. It’s OK that it feels hard. Whatever happens, I will be OK.”

“My ambitions hadn’t dimmed”: 3 mothers share how and why they returned to work after having their babies