I want to go back to work after delivering my child, but my mother in laws says I should stay home and take care of my child. I do agree with her that for a certain period of time I should be home with my child but when is an appropriate time to leave my child to go back to work?

The 1 month confinement is unavoidable. Whereas, you can choose to return to work after your confinement ends or you can utilise your 4 months of maternity leave if you're a Singapore citizen. But what is your concern? Why do you choose to go back to work instead of staying home to look after your child? For me, I'm using 3 months of my maternity leave leaving the 4th month for emergency cases.