staying at home

While pregnant and pondering how God would have us raise our children, I really wanted to evaluate my mindset about desiring to stay at home with baby. I had a strong desire to stay at home with baby, feeling that God entrusts parents to raise the children he blesses them with, but that was mostly a feeling / assumption. I didn't feel confident asserting my feelings without a little more consideration...

My knowledge of God's word didn't lead me to any specific guidance for all people at all times to have a parent stay at home. In fact, it could be argued that leaving children for Jesus' sake is condoned:

In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29

Don't read too much into this verse -- I really haven't researched it much.

Not getting a clear message from God's word, I then looked to God's creation.

Mothers are clearly designed to provide nourishment for their babies through breastfeeding - completely through 6 months, and partially til at least one year... even 2+ years. This indicates to me that mothers should be available to feed their babies at least during this time frame.

Also, mothers pass immunities to their babies through breast milk. If mother and baby are in different environments through most of the day, mother may not be passing the immunities that baby needs to him. This indicates to me that mothers should be with their babies most of the time during the breastfeeding period.

These two observations on God's creation helped me feel confident that I should be with baby most of the time at least while he is very young. They also remind me of the story of Hannah and Samuel from 1 Samuel 1:

After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always.  1 Samuel 1:22

Even when dedicating her son completely to the LORD, Hannah stayed with him until he was weaned.

All this said, I can make no judgement on those mamas who are not able to or choose not to stay near their babies until they are weaned, for,

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.  Romans 14:14