If you’re like me you were dreading going back to work, even before your baby was born. I had pushed it so far out of my mind because I couldn’t fathom having to leave my little babe to go back to work. I had a full 12 weeks, which seemed like a lot of time and kept telling myself I had all the time in the world to prepare to go back to work. A lot can happen in 3 months, especially in those newborn weeks and months. Time flies by and all the sudden you have to go back to work again. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was nervous going into my first few weeks back. What if I cry, what if I don’t perform well cause I am so tired, what if I forgot how to do my job? So many nervous thoughts ran through my head as the weeks crept up to my return to work.
My transition back into work was easier than I had thought, but there were still some hurdles that I overcame. Here are some things to expect when you go back to work after your leave.
You are going to be emotional. I cried when getting ready and leaving for work. I just didn’t want to leave my tiny baby at home. I was worried I would be crying all day during my time at work. I also didn’t really want anyone at work to feel awkward around me if I did cry. But, I ended up not crying once getting to work because the actual work part was a good distraction. Just know going back to work is going to be emotional for you and THAT IS OKAY! It is completely normal to feel emotional about it.
Your co-workers will want to come talk to you. I am close with my co-workers but did not have a ton of communication with them while on my leave. That first day many people stopped by my desk to see how baby and I was. Be prepared to repeat the same things over and over again to multiple people. You will get asked the same questions over and over again. I find it nice that my co-workers were so acknowledging of me and I didn’t mind because I love talking about my baby.
You are going to be a little frazzled. Getting back into the swings of things will take some time. I of course didn’t forget how to do my job, but I felt I wasn’t as fast as I was doing it prior to my maternity leave. My brain was just a little foggy and I moved a little slower. But, as I got back up I was able to feel I was being just as efficient as before over time.
You will be VERY tired. I felt more tired than I did on my leave. I blame it on the fact that I didn’t get a take any naps during my work day to catch up on my sleep. If your work is like mine, you probably can’t just take a nap on the job. My little one was still waking up multiple times a night which made for one tired mama during the day. Luckily, over time your baby will sleep more and throughout the night. But in those first few weeks/months back it was pretty rough. Also, my body learned to function on little sleep and coffee also helped. It is crazy what your body and mind learn to do when you become a mom.
Your sweet babe will not forget you. I had a very big fear that my little one and I would not get enough time together. That I would come home from work and she wouldn’t want to be with me, or should would somehow be mad at me for leaving her all day. But, everyday when I would go pick her her she would greet me with the biggest smile and be so excited to see me. It made being away from her all day worth it seeing her light up so big. Your baby will still remember who their mama, you are irreplaceable.
You will have time for everything that is important. I was worried on how I would juggle it all, work, being a mom, being a wife, and still being social. You make it work and you find the time. You get into a grind and a routine, which really helps. Most of my days are jam packed and I live for the weekends. You set your priorities on what is most important to you and weed out the rest.
You’ll feel pulled in several different directions. The mental load of being a mom is already hard and then add the mental load of work, it is a lot. I feel at times I am being building in 5,000 different directions. You have to meet deadlines or turn in reports and on top of that are making sure you have a healthy happy baby. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I try my best to just focus on what is right in front of me instead of thinking about the other long lists of mom and work things that need get done.
Going back to work after maternity leave is never easy. You most likely will experience all these questions and doubts. You might experience something completely different. Try your best to not be so hard on yourself. Going back to work after your maternity leave can be overwhelming and it might take you time to get the swing of things. I promise you, you are going to rock being a working mom and everything will fall into place.
