C4K: When did you go back to work after having your child/children?

ZT: I never really stopped working completely with Eland! I wrote my first article - about miscarriage - when Eland was a few weeks old. Over the next few months I was very fortunate to be able to do the odd piece of work here and there,including a couple of travel features and opinion pieces for the Telegraph. It meant I could keep my hand in, while spending nearly all of my time being a new mum. Like I say, I was very lucky. I went back to work when Eland was nine months old. I would have waited a little longer, but a place became available at a childcare centre I was very happy with and I couldn't afford to turn it down. Now I've had my second baby I am already juggling the new business, writing the book and filing weekly for the Telegraph.

C4K: What were your main motivations to return to work?

ZT: While I was a little surprised at how much I absolutely adore being a mum and have never considered myself overly ambitious, returning to work just seemed the natural choice for me. I had an extremely supportive employer, which allowed me to choose which and how many days I worked and provided the opportunity to work part-time. I was doubly fortunate to have built a career where I really enjoyed my work. I did also feel that I wanted to contribute financially to the family and believed we would all benefit from the extra income.

C4K:What was the hardest thing about returning to work?

ZT: One of the most difficult days of my life was leaving Eland to return to work the office for first time. She was fine, but I was a mess. There were also a few problems with working for a daily newspaper, where the end of the day is always the busiest. It was sometimes difficult to explain that I could not take on a news story 10 minutes before I had to leave to collect Eland. I also found it difficult sometimes to say no to extra work and then felt under a lot of pressure. There were also times when I felt like a bit of a fake. I was working alongside women who were living my old life - working and playing hard - and I often felt guilty that I was not putting in as many hours, although I didn't miss the hangovers! It is a bit like living a double life - I felt my work colleagues didn't want to hear my latest 'You'll never guess what she did yesterday ...' stories and my mummy friends weren't interested in my work! Luckily, I have a few close friends who work in the same field and became mums at the same time. Their support has been fantastic.

C4K: Who looks after the (non school age) children when you work?

ZT: My three-year-old is in a council-run long day care centre three days a week. I'm looking after Asha full time, given she's only a month old!

C4K: How did you find your child care?

ZT: While I was pregnant, I wrote a story about the problems of finding a child care place for under twos in Sydney, which really motivated me to do some research. I visited about ten centres before she was born and put her name down at several. A few months before I wanted to return to work, I started ringing my two or three preferred centres to pester them. I was offered two days a week at a centre I was very happy with. After a few months, I moved my daughter to be looked after by a qualified nanny who was also a very good friend and had a child the same age. My plan was to put Eland back into formal day care once she was three. We were offered a place at my favourite centre when she was 33 months, which was perfect. Her name had been on that list for nearly three years!

C4K: What were your main priorities while you were looking for child care?

ZT: I was looking for an environment where my daughter would be safe, where the staff would be affectionate and positive and take the time to help us both to cope with separation. I went very much on my gut instincts when looking at centres. I visited one that reminded me of an orphanage - with staff dishing out food to a line up of highchairs and paying very little attention to individual children. I was also concerned about cleanliness and hygiene and I wanted a centre close to my home rather than my work.

C4K: What would you do differently if you were looking for child care again?

ZT: Nothing.

C4K: What are the main benefits of your child care arrangement and/or having your child in care?

ZT: At the age my daughter is, I think there are huge benefits for her being in child care. She is stimulated and learning through play every day. She is learning to share and building relationships with her peers and other adults. She is safe and happy. Her language skills and confidence appear to be growing every day. Whether I am working from home or in the office, there are also huge benefits for me. Mother guilt is never completely eradicated, but I have the confidence of knowing she is safe and happy and the pleasure of being able to make the most of our time together having got my work commitments out of the way - most of the time.

C4K: Have you any amusing or heart-warming child care experiences?

ZT: During the first couple of weeks at child care, the only time my daughter got upset was when it was time to come home! She would cry and say she wanted to stay. It was slightly embarrassing, but also reassuring. After a few weeks, she realised that she was going to get a chance to come back and play with all the toys again soon and her reaction to me picking her up improved dramatically. I was also told by one of her carers that she is 'quite a leader', which I have no doubt was a polite way of saying that she's bossy!