I knew several parents that did this when I was in the military. On our pay, we could not afford disposables, and living off base in a foreign country, we did not have washing machines. We would have to go to the laundromat on base that consisted of two washers and 4 driers with many people waiting to use them... an all day affair and not open on weekends.
I drove a cab to earn the extra money for the disposables. BTW, their kids were potty-trained by 18 months (no longer parent-trained.) My son was still having accidents at the age of three due to being at the day care all the time.
If I had it to do over again, I would have done as the other parents and spent more time with my child. The "American" way is not always the best way, imo.
My son, at 20 months, is not showing ANY of those signs yet, and I'm getting a LOT of pressure from the in-laws. Once he shpws 'em, we're off and running.
But I admit that I AM a stay-at-home during the day, and I teach at night, when DADDY can be home and hold down the fort. Our sitch is unique, and we're lucky.
I made a conscious decision pre-children to invest in types of work which would permit me to be at home to raise my children. The sacrifice was most often my sleep. When the babies napped, I worked or napped. Hard schedule? Yes. I was using a modem as early as 1978. And definitely a frontrunner in the "telecommuting" edge. Was it hard? Yes.
The American Way, as I see it, is what YOU CHOOSE to pursue -- what others think is best for me, what the MSM, NOW, and any others' "expertise" is read, considered -- then tossed or modified to suit the realities of my world.
That, to me, is the American Way.