I quit my dream job as an airline pilot when I surprisingly became pregnant with twins. I now rely on my retirement savings.

The author loved her job as an airline pilot.Courtesy of Kim CooperA surprise pregnancy with twins at 43 ended my career as an airline pilot.Staying home with my kids was right for my family, but now I'm struggling to make ends meet.I'm tapping into retirement early until I start a new career.At 43, I was at the height of my professional career, living my dream life as a Southwest Airlines pilot. I traveled back and forth across the country multiple times every month and used my free passes on frequent vacations with my 8-year-old son.The airline business is built on seniority, and after 12 years, I was senior enough to fly only about eight days a month.I didn't know my lifestyle was headed for a massive speed bump after learning I was pregnant with twins.Having twins in my 40s changed everything — especially my careerI had planned to keep flying until the mandatory retirement age of 65, but that no longer seemed possible. I knew leaving my then-husband at home with three kids while I was traveling would be too much stress for our family to handle.When my maternity leave came to an end, I walked away from the job and career I had worked for over half my life to achieve.Over the last 10 years, there have been times when I have regretted quitting my job. The adjustment to becoming a stay-at-home mom took several years, and I longed for the days when I would wake up in New York City, have dinner with my crew in a nice restaurant, and tuck myself into bed in LA.It was also a difficult transition financially, going from a double income to one. It was also a shock to buy plane tickets for five instead of flying for free, so our frequent travel ended as well.Going through a divorce changed everything againIt wasn't until last year that I faced the hardest part of quitting my job: navigating a divorce and becoming a single mom in my 50s.I couldn't help think how much easier this divorce would have been if I had kept working. Right now, I'd be making $30,000 a month if I had kept my job.The author's twins.Courtesy of Kim CooperInstead of being able to support myself easily, I had to fill a huge income gap until I figured out what to do next. I knew returning to flying wasn't an option for me.I'm now using my retirement savingsWhen I was a pilot, I deposited 10% of my paycheck into a retirement account every month. I benefited from a great rate of return.When I told my family I was going to pull money out of retirement to get through the transition period after my divorce, they didn't understand why I thought that was a good idea. They thought I should find a job and keep the money in retirement "just in case" I needed it later.They failed to realize that the entire reason I quit my career was so I could stay home to support my kids. Going back to work during the most stressful period of their lives would have undermined all the sacrifices I had made over the last 10 years. That wasn't something I was willing to do.My rainy day was now, and I was grateful I had saved so much while I was working to have options during an incredibly difficult time in my life.Starting a new career and reinventing myself at the age of 53 was not something I ever expected to endure. But I knew it was the right decision for me and my kids. I'm incredibly grateful for the nest egg I accumulated to assist me in navigating another unexpected life transition.After two decades as a commercial airline pilot, Kim Cooper now guides others to chart a course through the storm of life transitions. Learn more about her business at pathfinderhealingarts.com.Read the original article on Business Insider