You become more and more excited as your due date approaches. A thrilling journey awaits as you become a parent.
However, your excitement could rapidly turn to concern when you consider your parental leave benefits. Returning to work after maternity leave is the thing you should be considering.
You can feel more in control of your decision and make the transition easier on you and your child by getting ready while you're on maternity leave.
The following five tips will help working moms for returning back to work.
1. Find trustworthy childcare
One of the hardest parts of returning to work is finding daycare. It's best to start looking as soon as possible.
Even while it may seem strange to start looking before your child is born, getting recommendations from friends can help.
Before you go back to work, conduct a few trial runs with your childcare provider. You may feel more at ease leaving your child with them due to this.
2. Create a feeding schedule for you and the infant
Choose whether you want to breastfeed your child full-time, part-time, or use formula before you go back to work.
If you decide to keep breastfeeding, you'll need to pump at work to keep up your milk production and give your infant milk while you're out.
You use a lot of energy during breastfeeding, therefore it's crucial to schedule your meals as well. You can preserve your energy and milk supply through meal-prepping.
3. Think about having flexible hours
To maintain a bond with their newborns, some new mothers choose to work flexibly or from home. However, many women worry that people would criticize them for having flexible schedules.
Discuss the timetable that works best for you and your family with your co-parent or other supporters. Remember that your co-parent may be able to adjust their schedule as well.
4. Plan time for self-care
Work-life integration can result in burnout if self-care is not prioritized.
Consider how and when you will recharge before you start working. Set up a plan for your new habit that includes self-care.
5. Deep-clean your residence
Duties can be considerably more difficult now that you're back at work. You may feel more at ease if your home is clean when you arrive at work.
Call a buddy or your family to assist you in cleaning. Hire a service to clean things down if you can. After that, when you get used to working, make a timetable for keeping your house clean. Be sensible. Although you may enjoy a clean home, all that matters is that it is secure.
It doesn't always need to be pristine or organized; after all, taking care of a baby typically necessitates the use of additional, occasionally expensive equipment, and raising kids often results in clutter.
Additionally, unless you are a single parent, you are not the only one who is responsible for keeping the house tidy.
Getting back to work after a long break
You'll face a unique challenge your first week back at work, but you'll be able to overcome it.
It takes time to figure out how to manage a job and kids. After all, 44% of new mothers believe that juggling parental responsibilities like sick children and childcare conflicts are the most challenging aspects of returning to the workforce.
Here are five points to concentrate on in order to have a healthy work-life integration.
1. Set boundaries
Discuss your availability to work during certain hours with your employer. During this discussion, you can also decide what you need for a healthy work-life integration.
Declare that you are unavailable for overtime or out of contact outside regular business hours at this time.
Set expectations with your employees by sharing your boundaries.
2. Be ready for the unexpected
When your child becomes sick or a babysitter cancels, you might need greater flexibility in the future even if you can work a full-time job right now.
Make a backup plan in case of an emergency. Discuss with your manager how to notify them if you need to leave the office right away or if you require an unexpected day off.
3. Talk to HR
Extraordinary parental employee benefits may exist in some organizations. To learn about the benefits that are available to you, speak with HR.
You might be able to obtain lactation help, access mental health resources, or gradually ease back into work with a progressive plan.
4. Manage your emotions
Anxiety and postpartum depression can occur at any time throughout the first year. Just because you're back at work doesn't mean you should start ignoring your feelings.
To keep track of your emotions, have a notebook nearby or use an app on your phone. You can identify patterns earlier and get support when you need it by keeping a record of your emotions.
5. Know your priorities
You've changed your priorities since you left. But it's possible that your coworkers won't necessarily get it.
Consider your priorities and follow them as a guide. You can examine how your new priorities can fit with your work with the help of a coach.
6. Develop compassion for yourself
It's difficult being a stay-at-home parents.
In addition to your job, you are also taking care of a small human. Your body is still undergoing adjustments and hormonal swings. You probably oversee a childcare provider or pick-up and drop-off times. You're probably worn out.
Work on developing self-compassion and establishing reasonable expectations for both you and others. Be kind to yourself.
Returning to work doesn't need to be scary
The future of your career may seem a little scary during maternity leave. Your viewpoint has changed, so your old methods may no longer be effective for you. Returning to work after maternity leave can be difficult, but you can succeed with the correct support.
Being a parent is a blessing, but a hard transition. Every restless night feels completely new while you're learning how to parent. Some mothers find it intolerable to return to work so soon.
A wide range of emotions accompanies the end of maternity leave, but planning beforehand can help you make the transition go more smoothly.
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