My twins were preemies and I went back to work when they were 18 months. We had discussed daycare previously with our preemie team at the hospital. They warned me that they would get sick a lot, but that the time was right to get them socialized and not to worry about them getting sick, we'd deal with it together. That they'd rather we go through it now because toddlers are resilient and we'd have less issues when they'd go to school. So off they went to nursery.

And my God, did they get sick. We spent 6 of my first 8 weeks back at work in the hospital with various RSV infections, pneumonia, and the cherry on top - swine flu. I had a nervous breakdown during that one and developed PTSD after being blue-lighted to the hospital. Yet the paediatricians and pulmonologists told me in no uncertain terms that their immune systems needed training and to not give up. I was told "the more often they get sick now, the better it will be once they're in school. They were on long-term antibiotics for a year and steroid inhalers for two, and I'm happy to report that their doctors were right, it's all water under the bridge now. They're 8 years old, off all meds and healthy as can be. It was worth it.