Is the end of your maternity leave coming up faster than expected? This may cause you to feel a range of emotions, but you are not alone. Most moms feel a mixture of conflicting emotions before returning to work after maternity leave. From feeling guilty about leaving the baby alone for the first time, to feeling relief that a professional will take over, to everything else in-between, new moms have felt it all!
Here are some top tips to help make returning to work after maternity leave as painless as possible.
Think about the logistics
Treat returning to work and leaving your baby in the hands of someone new as a military operation. Your morning routine isn’t going to be as simple as grabbing a piece of fruit and leaving the house in a hurry like your pre-baby days.
Your new routine will involve squeezing in a last feed, giving strict instructions to the babysitter, packing baby bags, remembering to pack your breast pump (if needed) and so much more. Even if you think you have everything down pat, from finding the perfect everyday shapewear to put on underneath your work clothes to leaving a list of emergency numbers on the fridge, you probably won’t get it right away; and that’s okay!
Practice your morning routine before your first day back, so you can tweak things if needed before the big day.
Bring your baby to the office before returning
Bringing your baby into work before returning from maternity leave has been shown to make it easier on most new moms. This allows you to blend your two worlds together, and also gives your colleagues a chance to see into your new world.
Your new baby will more than likely melt even the coldest of hearts, which may mean that your coworkers go easy on you in your first few weeks.
Start in the middle of the week
A full working week can be a shock to the system after such a different daily and weekly routine. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to start your working week in the middle of the week when first returning, so you have the weekend to fully recover and re-adjust before committing to a full working week. The weekend will also give you time to think about what needs adjusting.
Another option that moms have is ending their maternity leave a week early to ease themselves back into work more gently. For example, cutting your leave short by one week means you can use those extra five days over time. A good tactic is to work a four-day week, and use the first four Fridays to stay at home with your baby.
Consider some work from home days
If your job can feasibly be done from a computer at home, don’t be afraid to ask if you can work from home one or two days a week. Not only will it help with the work/life balance, but most moms find that the extra day at home helps to keep their milk supply up, as it gives them more days of breastfeeding and pumping.
Show your boss how you can effectively do your job from home, and reassure them that you will have a babysitter in place during your working hours.
Find working mom support
A problem shared is a problem halved, so finding working moms in the same boat is always going to make you feel better.
There will more than likely be a handful of working moms in your office, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them. Invite the working moms in the office to lunch once a month, so you can support each other with baby-related and non-baby-related problems.
Work through the tough moments
Most moms have wanted to quit at least once after returning to work after maternity leave. But the important thing is to work through it, because you won’t have these thoughts forever. Here are a few things to think about during those tough moments:
- Remember that it takes time to adjust to your new life as a working mom. You won’t always feel like this.
- Make a list of what you love about your job – and yes, the paycheck does count!
- Celebrate the small successes. Make a to-do list and proudly tick off the tasks as and when you complete them. This can be something as minor as making a colleague a cup of coffee, talking to someone about something non baby-related, or replying to your very first email. Small victories!
- Be patient. And even if you want to quit every single second of the day, don’t make any rash decisions during your first week of returning to work.
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