Hi Ho! Hi Ho! – It’s Back to Work I Go…Or Not
Author: Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
You may feel like the birth of this baby has just rocked your world (let alone, your body). Now, you're home from the hospital. You're just getting settled. Then all of a sudden, you're looking at the calendar and realizing that your time off on maternity leave is slipping away from you. It's almost time to head back to work (not that you haven't been working 24/7 as a new mama!).
Are you ready? Not sure?
Even with the best care plan in place for your baby, you may feel uneasy about the time away from your little one.
Never fear, being a working mom (outside of the home…moms are always working inside the home) has been successfully conquered before. For both professional and personal reasons, maintaining a career can be a good thing; although during this time, you may not be so sure.
As you consider this transition for both you and your baby, keep in mind the following ideas:
- Take it slow. Start the transition process a couple weeks out from when things will really kick into gear (meaning before that first day when you have to be back on the job). During the transition, you may simply do a few test runs of getting everyone ready. How much time will you need? Build in plenty of time for your baby. Although you might lose a few more minutes of sleep (after all, what's a few more minutes at this point - LOL!), you'll be thankful not to be rushed.
- Visit with the baby's caregiver often. Whether it's a family member, friend, or a professional service and whether it's in or out of your home, you and your baby will benefit from the confidence you obtain through a few visits with your baby's caregiver. Each visit doesn't have to be long. It may be 15 minutes or a half hour. Be sure to provide interaction time between your baby and the caregiver. Before the first day of heading back to the office, try leaving your little one for an hour or so in this care-giving situation. If using a non-family member, do compensate the individual caring for your baby. After all, your baby is your most prized possession, and you want their caregiver to know how much you value their efforts.
- Think transition. Explore all options. Do you need to return to full-time work immediately? Can you work any from home? Is there any flexibility to your workday hours so that your significant other and you can tag team caring for your baby? With this new relationship, raging hormones, and additional stressors, you may feel overwhelmed with the reality of returning to the work force. Pursue all options in making it work for you and your child.
- Finally, if it's not working, seek another alternative. This is true of both your job and also of your care-giving situation. No two routes in parenthood need to be the same. Find something that works for you and your family. This may include working part-time, making adjustments in your lifestyle in order to cease working for an income - thus being at home with your baby, or working the opposite shift as your significant other.
