Returning to work after maternity leave is a significant milestone for any new mother. New moms always dread the day their maternity leaves come to an end because it means leaving your baby in someone else’s care and most importantly; getting accustomed to a new routine with a baby to look after. Chalk out the things you need to take care of to be tension free at work and yet stay connected to your baby.
By communicating openly with your employer, gradually transitioning back to work, arranging reliable childcare, and setting realistic expectations, you can navigate this journey with greater ease. Remember to be kind to yourself during this process and seek support from your employer, coworkers, and fellow working mothers. With proper planning and a supportive environment, you can strike a balance between your professional commitments and your responsibilities as a loving parent
10 Tips To Ease Going Back To Work After Maternity Leave
For breastfeeding working women, the transition back to the workplace after maternity leave can be both exciting and challenging. Here are a few things you should definitely put on your checklist.
1. Sort Out Childcare Issues
Find dependable childcare and preferably one which is close to your place of work. There are many local childcare facilities available. Visit a few of them, check their amenities, and make sure the caregivers are well qualified and the environment is suitable for the baby to spend the day. Ask your friends, neighbors, and doctor for recommending well-known daycare centers in the area.
If you have someone from the family to take care of the baby, ensure that the person is well equipped to do so, and ascertain what other support he or she may need. For instance, parents can be excellent with babies, but you cannot expect them to do the running around. Hence, a little eye for detail at this stage would work as a long time solution.
2. Stock Up On These Things Before You Enter The Office Doors
As you prepare to enter the office doors, having the right supplies readily available can make a significant difference in maintaining your breastfeeding routine. In this article, we will discuss essential items that every breastfeeding working woman should stock up on before returning to work.
- Breast Pump: Invest in and carry a breast pump with you so that you can store up milk.
- A bag to carry the breast pump: Carry it in a professional-looking bag rather than one which makes it quite obvious that you are carrying one.
- Extra nursing pads: You may not be able to visit the washroom at the right time, so it is important to keep an extra pair of nursing pads of a good brand that has high absorbing capacity.
- Healthy snacks: Keep some healthy snacks along with you which will be good for your nursing health.
- Baby pictures: Carrying your baby’s picture will enable you to stay motivated for long days coming up at work.
3. Clarify Your Work Schedule
Have a talk with your employer wherein you decide your exact duties. Ask for a few flexible hours at work. If your job requires long-standing, see if you can manage that or would like to change to a lesser exhaustive profile. Also, see if you can take breaks to pump or breastfeed your baby.
Here are a few points to remember:
- Take a dry run: It is recommended to do a couple of dry runs before the actual day from which you start working. Managing a baby and a job is not at all an easy task and it is bound to take some time for you, your baby as well as your husband to blend into the new schedule. So test and try it a week in advance. Start taking your baby to the daycare center a week in advance; this will give him time to settle with the new environment.
- Back it up: Come up with a good backup plan for days when your baby is sick or the daycare remains closed for some reason. You could decide that your husband would take the day off, or someone from friends or family would take care of the baby.
- Rest enough before joining work: Save yourself from falling into pieces by resting as much as you can before joining the office. Set early bedtimes. Best, stick to 9 pm. You will have to get up early in order to complete the basic household chores and rush yourself and your baby to the daycare center, so you will have to make sure that you get appropriate hours of sleep. Remember the promise of breastfeeding your baby and so take considerable rest to ensure the same.
- Keep your calm while at the office: Though it is quite impossible not to worry about your baby and even missing not seeing him, it is important that you keep yourself together at work. Don’t let anyone think that you are off your game and you are feeling too stressed out. Honor your commitments at work, and call your caregiver (day care of home) once or twice a day to know how the baby is doing. You will feel at peace.
- Join work in the middle of the week: Set your joining day to a Thursday. That way if your office gives Saturday and Sunday off, you will have to go to work only for a day and you can spend the weekend with your baby. Even if Saturday is a working day for you, you will have to work for only two days. This way your baby will also not feel your sudden absence and will adjust better.
- Take care of yourself: Don’t ignore the fact that you are a nursing mother and no matter how much pressure you are having to handle at work there is no excuse not to eat your food on time and not to eat healthy food. You have to also keep yourself well-hydrated. Carry fruit juices along with you, or some fruits and nuts to munch on while at the desk.
- Wash out that guilt: Last, but not least, let go of the guilt that you are giving up baby time and not giving enough care to your baby. Just keep in mind that you are working to make your baby’s future secure. Also, there is no perfect mother in this world, even if you goof up a few times, don’t keep blaming yourself for it over and over again.
Though not easy, try to keep your motherhood and professional life separate. Also, seek support from family and friends, talk your apprehensions out, and you are all set to strike the balance between work and family. Above all, maintain a positive attitude towards joining work after your maternity leave and you will handle it just fine.
