Help me not cry at the thought of returning to work after maternity leave

[cornflakes5]

I'm going back to work next month after a year-long maternity leave.

Even last week, I thought I was ready and quite glad really, as DD has been a really tricky, needy baby and my mental health has suffered, but the last couple of days I've been feeling so sad about it. The smallest thing is making me cry.

DD was EBF, and has been very much glued to me since birth - until very recently she's been co-sleeping with us and she's also slung everywhere (not by choice either). We've not been apart for more than a couple of hours at a time, and the thought of a whole day apart makes me feel dreadful.

DD will be going to a nanny share, and I'm worried she won't adjust, or the nanny will tell us it's not working out (her current charge is a very easygoing baby). This is also very much on my mind.

Help me pull myself together! Tell me it'll be ok. Tell me how you felt when you first went back to work, and the things that helped you feel better.

The thought of it was a million times worse than doing it. I expect one day you’ll say the same to someone else 😀

I love nanny share. You get the benefits of a nanny with built in playtime buddies and much less cost!

I really really don't see an experienced nanny quitting over misaligned naptimes. My baby's nap and the other baby's are still a bit misaligned, one of them will nap in the buggy and one won't, etc etc. So occasionally one of them gets the short straw and ends up not sleeping great that day, because it's a juggling act with their needs. But that's really not a problem and a small price to pay. If the babies are of similar ages and you put a bit of effort into aligning their routines everything will fall into place. My strong recommendation is to make sure you do regular check ins with the nanny and the other family even if everything is 'fine' so that you surface any issues straightaway and get used to navigating them together. Also let the little things go - the other family will have different rules and norms in all sorts of small ways so save the battles for the stuff that really matters. Good luck.

Thank you @SoHotADragonRetired that's all really sensible advice!