Probably every mum feels, during the first few days of her baby’s life, that the return to work is so far away and she, carefree, doesn’t think about her business duties. And then, suddenly, the day when she needs to return happens, it comes so unexpectedly fast. And it is all a burden.
Here is a few tips how to make the return to work less stressful:
1.Make a decision as soon as possible about the person who will take care about your child while you are at work.
With whom/what you will feel most secure? Are those child’s grandmas, a nanny or kindergarten? Whoever it is, you should get your child used to the person who will take care of him while you are gone gradually. If these are grandmas, ask a grandma to spend more time with you and follow how she independently organizes the care about the child. Probably there will be a lot of things that will not suit you, or they will not be how you pictured them, and yes – it is true that you do all of that better by far, but don’t forget that you have someone you trust, who is reliable and who knows the whole situation around you and your baby well, because she is there from the beginning. If you opt for a nanny, start with the getting used to her, for a few hours per day in the beginning. Familiarize the nanny with all the key facts concerning the child and the environment in which the child is.
Buy a nice notebook in which nanny will note all relevant events related to your child, e.g. how long it slept, how many times she changed diapers, what the child ate, what mood he was in, what items should be bought, etc… Monitor the activities of your nanny and child during the day, try to feel the level of satisfaction of your child regarding the nanny and when you are sure that everything is fine, go out shopping. Leave her the list of emergency numbers, explain the rules of your family to her, with the diet, rules for caring about your child and life values that are important to you (e.g. homeopathic treatments, natural care, organic food). If you decide for the kindergarten, you must take your child to get used to it. During the first few days, until he realizes where he is going to, there will be no crying, but it will surely become a mandatory item later and when approaching the kindergarten. A heart-armour is required here, because it will be equally difficult for you to leave him, as it will be for him to be obliged to be in a completely new environment all of a sudden. If you are not available, make sure that someone always picks the child from the kindergarten at the agreed time. Grandmas and grandpas are priceless for this task.
2.Buying new clothes to go back to work may be a good start to make the fairly unpleasant “come back” from the maternity leave nicer.
And you will feel better by far, while you can also cover, by carefully selected items, a few remaining extra pounds that will surely be wasted in the period to come during an unprecedented marathon between work and home. You will never be in a bigger rush to go home than during the first days from the return to work after maternity leave.
3.Make a “to do” list of all the items you have been putting off for months and which are necessary to be done until the return to work.
There is nothing better than crossing out the long-delayed obligations and that good feeling of having them finally completed!
However it may be, as much as you well prepare for the return, the first few days will be stressful for everyone, but only after a week you will feel like you have never even been absent from work.
