Being at work

[Laurenk96]

So my daughter is just over a year old, I went back to work a week before her first birthday, the first week was great I enjoyed getting out of the house, but a month on and I'm a wreck, I just want to be at home with my daughter, I dread going to work every day, but I know I have to as it's the only way we can afford to live, please tell me this feeling will eventually go away, I just don't feel happy anymore

Yes it will get better.

TBH I think I would have struggled if I'd been home for a year, specially as your dd is the age when separation anxiety kicks in.
I guess one advantage of the days when 3 month ML was the norm was that it felt more like stepping out of work very temporarily whereas a year is long enough for you to have developed a whole new routine.

Key thing is good quality childcare so your dd thrives. Secondly, do you have a job which keeps you busy- mentally occupied as well we physically? I found it really helped to have a job where some days I literally barely thought about my baby until it was time to pick her up from the childminder. Then I'd get a real rush of joy!

I suspect it will take a little while to settle back in, but you'll get there.

I work in a warehouse so yeah quite physical, when I'm at work I don't even feel like this one bit, I have the odd occasion where I just can't think of anything but going home, but when I'm home I'm just constantly counting down and dreading every hour until I have to go back to work, it's not my dd that gets separation anxiety, it's me :(

No advice but watching with interest. I go back to work f/t soon after 12 months maternity leave and I'm dreading leaving DD for so long. I fear I won't get any proper time with her apart from on weekends

It's so horrible :( me and my partner do alternative shifts, so I work 6am to 2pm and he works 2pm till 10pm, so I'm definitely struggling not only not seeing my baby as much but also not seeing him as much💔