I’m due back in work ten days before my baby’s first birthday and I’m feeling so sad that I won’t be with him for most of the day.
Yes, I know that 12 months of maternity leave is amazingly generous compared to what is available on some other countries, and yes I know that he won’t remember it, and that it’s just one day, and we can celebrate at the weekend instead. I know all of these sensible, rational things. But I still feel sad. There has been a lot of stress, tension and frustration around my return to work arrangements, and this just feels like a extra stab of disappointment.
Sorry, there’s no question here. Just the tired midnight ramblings that come from motherhood’s beautiful combination of hormones, sleep-deprivation and perma-guilt.