Tell me how great returning to work after maternity leave is please!

[StinkinDrink]

I have an imminent return to work after 8 months off with my baby, please tell me all the bonus' of working with a small child/your returning from maternity leave triumphs to make me feel better please 😊

Adult company
Office jokes and banter
Tea breaks in peace
Audio books in your commute

Hot coffee, adult conversation, quiet sit down at a computer, read the news at lunchtime or on a commute. Was a bit daunting to have to use my brain again but thoroughly enjoyed it!

It's great. You can wear whatever you want, it doesn't have to be practical or covered in food/snot/whatever. You have adult conversations and earn money again. You miss them, but absence makes the heart grow fonder and their face when you walk through the door is lovely. You plan to do nice things at the weekend rather than it just being another day the same.

It's lovely, but not all consuming anymore and you realise you can still be you after everything.

It's not easy, but I think if you have decent childcare you trust, it's easier going back to work than being a sahm

Yep agree with the sentiments above .
Also for me it was a relief to be back on normal income! Able to plan for trips and holidays etc.
My ‘triumph’ was that I expected to have to stop BF and Mumsnet made me figure out that I didnt have to.
My Sense of identity beyond Mum.
My purpose felt stronger working to provide for family.
Amazing having something to look forward to at the end of every work day - nursery pick ups were something I always looked forward to.

Good luck OP it’s daunting at first but the new routines start to feel normal quite fast IME.

Having a sense of purpose?
To be honest I'm about to return to work full time after 7 months mat leave and also looking for some encouragement. After my first baby I felt ok but this time I feel weary at the thought of full-time work, a baby and a small person. That said I will feel more 'myself' once I get back in to a working routine. Good luck.

It's brilliant. I returned to work in May when DD was 9 months old and I'd spent everyday of the previous 6 weeks crying about it.

I work 4 full days and I am SO ready for them after a 3 day weekend. I feel like myself again and I can't imagine not working.

Can eat/drink when I want
Adult conversation
Use my brain
Don't have to think of a million ways to entertain
Go to toilet whenever
Not have to wrestle with nap time

And above all, salary and pension!

Everything @Cuppa12345 said!

That you can be you again after everything and earning my own money again were the biggest things.

Ooh ButterflyBun me too! Was so ready to return after #1 but am doubting my ability to cope with baby, child and actual brainwork.

Sorry OP, slight detour there! No question that the first few weeks are tricky, both emotionally and practically. But just as you found your rhythm as a mum, you will find your rhythm as a WOH mum and there are so many little joys as PP have said. Hot coffee, days that aren't dominated by messy meals and naps, time on the commute where nobody can expect you to do anything. And the joy of picking them up from nursery, especially as they get older and you can tell each other about your days. It's nice, too, to rediscover bits of yourself that do get submerged in the early days of parenthood.

Also, something to talk to my husband about in the evenings that wasn’t just about what new thing the baby might have done.

I fucking LOVED it.
Ds was 8 months old. He went to a nursery that I chose when he was 3 weeks old.
I got to talk to real live human adults. I’m a nurse and nursing is intrinsic to my being and not being able to do it ate away at me. I felt whole again, being mum and being a nurse.
I had awful PND with DS and work was a key aspect of my recovery. Fuck I loved going back to work, I love it now, and DS is 2!

Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone, even these few posts so far have made me feel so much better! Keep them coming thanks for the good lucks, I shall report back after day 1! Everyone else in the same boat, I also wish you all the good luck (and enjoyable wees in peace! 😆)

Having a wee all by yourself
Hot drinks that aren't microwaved 3 times before you drink them
People who know you as a whole "you" not just baby related you if that makes sense
Watching your baby grow and bond with others - her nursery key worker was amazing and did so much for her!

@Liveinthepresent please give me your breastfeeding / return to work tips! Pumping is long gone for me I think I haven't tried it in about 3 months

Weeing without an audience
Drinking hot drinks
Remembering “me” - I am not just a Mum. I am a highly educated, professional woman.
Cuddles when you get back
Setting a great example for my children (that women can have a family and work)

I breastfed all 3 of mine after returning to work. I found mine just drank more in the evening and night.

My eldest fed till 3 and I went back to work when she was 9 months.

I've been back 3 weeks after having a year off. There was also a restructure so I'm in a new job which is welcomed but daunting.

Having a salary again is amazing. Having a reason to get dressed and not slob around. It has created some sort of routine for us all. No more "but I work you only look after a baby" arguments with DP. Having time to myself (quite sad I can only find that in work but it is enjoyable). Finding a sense of self again. Not having endless conversations about babies.

Weekends are busier but valued now and not just another day.

Look ... I wont lie. I found it hard , not the separation, but physically I had to nap in the loos at work!!! Lol. It does become your new normal after a few weeks...

I work 4 days and virtually skip into the office on a Tuesday!!

Oh man the feeling just before you go back is like the worst Sunday night dread! Far far worse than the reality of a Monday at work. You will be fine. It’s so lovely having a busy day at work then coming home to be just a mum again for a few hours. Takes a few weeks to adjust and hard at first, but totally worth it. Good luck to both of you!

Seriously amazing!!! I feel like the old me again and don't have to talk about baby constantly. Although it is extremely tiring x

I've recently returned to work and I love it! DS is 6.5m old and has settled into nursery brilliantly - his development has come on in leaps and bounds since he started. I work 3 days a week (2 long days and a short day) and I find I appreciate my time with my son so much more now that I'm back at work. I enjoy using my brain and professional qualifications again, and I love that I earn good money despite only working part-time. If anything, next time I have a baby I might go back sooner!

Earning money again!

It took me a few weeks to adjust but things I loved were:

• toilet without audience
• coffee drunk in peace and still hot
• adult conversation
• being “me” again, not just someone’s mum.

I got a new job after maternity and it felt very daunting at the time but it was also great for my brain and self esteem.

I was so relieved to get back DS1 was 10 months, DS2 was 9 months.

Because

• earning money to do nice things and not fret about daily things
• adult conversation
• getting something done (not just all fed and none dead)
• going to the loo on my own
• eating lunch quietly
• not being ‘touched out’

Our childminder is amazing, which helps.

Breastfeeding (fed both until they were 2) - a feed the instant you get in, one before bed and one in the morning. Dropped the getting home one when they were about 1.