Today is my last day of maternity leave - please give me your back to work tips

[december2020]

I'm starting a new job, which I'm looking forward to, but I'm still a huge mixed bag of emotions - tell me it gets easier.

Please give me your tips (both practical and emotional) on how to deal and manage it all.

Nerves are your body preparing you to face a challenge. They are basically the same as excitement but with different marketing.

Don't try and push the emotions away, embrace them for helping you prepare and remind yourself that they won't last forever. It's physiologically impossible for your body to sustain intense emotional states for an extended period so you always know it will get better.

Hiya, really feel for you. I went back at 5 months and ran down the road home on the first day - I was so desperate to get home! As a manager, I looked after many women through my career who struggled a bit first day or so, but all adjusted fairly quickly.

It really does get easier. Try and find sometime to go and have a coffee somewhere in peace and revel in it! After a few days/ weeks (and it’s different for everyone and depends a little on your job and your childcare arrangement) - I’m sure you will really start to enjoy using your brain, adult company, some more money coming in and it will be so much easier. Good luck.

Thank you so much!
I'm going to have a brave face while dropping him off but will let myself just feel the emotions.

@Lilactimes that will be me too, running all the way to the nursery to pick him up 🙂 you are right - it'll be so nice to have some adult conversations and enjoy a fresh cup of coffee while its hot.

Today is the big day - I'm wide awake and DS is still sleeping.

Good luck OP! Hope you have a great day. Exciting times ahead!

Batch cook!

Good luck @december2020.

Good luck today! It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be so 🤞 you find the same.

Hope it all goes well.

Savour every child free moment of it

Enjoy the uninterrupted hot drinks.

And people getting to know you for yourself, not as your child's mother.

And remembering that you have skills, talents and thoughts beyond home life.

I found being organised with some batch cooking helped tremendously as the adjustment period was quite tiring.

I was dreading going back, absolutely completely and utterly dreading but honestly after 3 weeks it was like a switch and I LOVED it. Working does me the world of good. I work from home now due to COVID but I was previously in the office and it's just SO nice to sit in a chair with a hot cup of coffee and talk to adults without little people climbing all over you and having to change nappies.

Good luck.

@december2020 how has your week been? Hope you’ve been ok! Remember it gets easier. X

Thank you everyone!!!
For all your tips and remembering me on Monday!! And apologies for the radio silence - it's been quite a ride!

I definitely had to choke back the wobble in my voice as I dropped him off on Monday, he was happy to go in though. It felt so odd to have an empty house for the first time ever! He was a little emotional and overwhelmed at the end of the day but overall did well! And slept through the night! 🙈

He then got his first nursery gastro bug so it's been trying to juggle working, learning a new job and role as well as caring for him from home (thank god for daddy day care who was able to step in and help a lot)!

Work has been good, so fast paced, I think I've forgotten how to work 😬 but I'm trying to keep up the best I can and learn my new role.

Week 2 tomorrow - he's much better so should be good to go back on Monday - and I've got to deal with all the emotions all over again!

Week 2 on Monday - brain is mush clearly!