Struggling to cope with sending my son to nursery.

[LouiseTopaz]

My 9-month-old son has his first settling-in session at nursery on Monday. He'll be attending two full days a week, and I'm feeling incredibly anxious about it. I'm struggling to cope, as I find change really difficult due to being autistic. While I'm ready to return to work, the idea of a stranger caring for him is overwhelming. Did anyone else feel this way?

Hi, OP. Sorry to hear you're struggling with this. We can see you haven't had any answers to your thread yet so we thought it might be an idea to move it over to the Neurodiverse Mumsnetters board, as you've mentioned your autism being a factor. Hopefully some other MNetters might be able to help there.

Aside from autism, I think it's completely normal to react this way to the idea of a stranger caring for your child. After all, he’s still just a baby!

I think too that those feelings are perfectly normal for most Mums.

You've been PG then you've provably been with him day and night for the last 9 months. It's intense and currently it's your normal.

I absolutely dreaded going back to work with my first and I had the same feeling of feeling that nobody would understand how to look after him properly.

He was fine though. I too went back for two days a week initially. It's lovely because when you've done one day, the second day is your last day of the working week and you get to be either your LO for the next five days.

I'm not a huge fan of change either but you can try and make things easier for yourself hy prepping a few meals so that you've got something quick and nutritious to eat when you get home.

After a few days back at work I was appreciating things like being able to get a drink when I wanted and being able to go to the toilet alone.

It sounds like you've got the balance right and honestly a month after you've gone back you'll probably wonder why it was bothering you so much

I think very few Mum’s don’t feel this way.

Just wanted to add, this is perfectly normal, especially with your first. My eldest's nursery was in the same building as my workplace, so I knew all the staff by sight, and I still worried. Child number two I just chucked straight into his childcare and I was glad of the break.😊