Having a baby is one of the most wonderful things in a woman’s life. After your maternity leave, it’s time to return to work. Leaving your newborn baby behind makes many new mothers feel guilt, and they may feel that they now have two jobs to handle: motherhood and work. They both demand a lot of responsibility, and the transition back to work can be a bumpy one. Here are some tips to make the transition a little easier on you and your new bundle of joy.
Child care is in the forefront of every mother’s mind when it comes to going back to work. You don’t want to leave your child alone while you and your partner go back to work. Child care costs have increased over the years so finding an affordable means of child care can be difficult. Make sure to find child care as soon as possible before you start work because day care spots can fill up quick. Finding the right nanny is also a long process, so be sure to do this as early as possible as well.
Separation from your child is probably more difficult than the difficulties of finding child care. Once you do find the proper child care support you need, like a nanny or day care, you can feel relieved. Don’t be embarrassed to call and check in on your child while they’re at day care. The day care providers know what you’re going through and should be happy to fill you in on how well your child is adjusting.
You’ve been away from work for a long time depending on how much time you decided to take off work. Avoid feeling out of touch with your office coworkers by keeping in touch throughout your leave. Send emails or catch up with them on coffee dates. Just because you aren’t in the office doesn’t mean you aren’t still part of the team. Keep up with what’s going on in your profession by reading up-to-date articles online. Also, think about the new skills you’ve gained since becoming a new mother. Raising a child is a serious job and requires you to learn new skills as you go along. Skills like multitasking and negotiation are just some of the new skills you’ve acquired without even realizing it. These will certainly come in handy when you go back to work.
There’s a lot of stress involved in balancing a family and work. Decrease your stress by tailoring your job to your new needs. If you feel like returning to work full-time is too overwhelming, start off by working part-time or work from home some days out of the week. Plan ahead for emergencies like in case your child gets sick. Release all of your stress in healthy ways such as exercise. Eat a healthy diet to avoid feeling depressed; junk food is known to be linked to depression. Work out issues with your partner. Make sure you’re both balancing the responsibilities at home fairly. If work becomes too overwhelming and your job isn’t being flexible on hours, then you may need to take a break and think about doing freelance work or getting a new job where you can work from home.
SOURCE: Raising Children
IMAGE: About.com
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