Daycare costs killing me ymmv

i’m 10 weeks pp and my maternity leave is ending soon. i’ve been looking into daycare options for my lo and i’m shocked at how expensive it is. like, it’s literally more than my paycheck after taxes. does anyone else have to deal with this?

how do you guys balance work and daycare costs? i feel like i’m gonna have to choose between paying for daycare or paying my rent. it’s crazy. i’ve heard some people talk about dependent care fsa but idk if that’s even an option for me.

has anyone used one of those before? what were your experiences like?