5 days a week

[LizardLasagne]

Hi

I've name changed for this because I have sooo much personal detail from when I was TTC.

I am currently back at work 3 days a week and I'm struggling to adjust. Baby is now 11 months and I started my phased return just before she was 9 months.
She's settled well into nursery so that's not too much of a concern but I'm absolutely dreading being full time again in January. I'm going to miss her so much and I don't know how I will cope with doing it all.

Can anyone help me feel better? All the working mums I know have dropped down to 3 or 4 days.
Baby will be one. She will have one day a week with her dad (self employed) and 4 days in nursery. We both work from home so no commute, but I have to travel to meetings between 1 and 4 times a month.

Words of wisdom and any reassurance appreciated

You will be okay! I worked full time after mat leave with both of mine. A lot of my stress was around working out the house, commuting back in time for nursery pick up etc so you will have a much easier time of this. Use your lunch breaks to prep an easy dinner, employ a cleaner, get home deliveries for food and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s fine to lower your standards a bit 😅. You will be home for bath and bed which can be a real rush if you are out the house. Don’t worry about what other mums are doing - you will have evenings, weekends and holidays and your baby will love nursery.

Thank you!

Yeah I'm not really worried about the daily routine so much as missing the time with her. I feel like being apart from her for more time than I'm with her will be such a wrench.
I'm also worried about working/driving long distances when I'm so tired. She is an objectively terrible sleeper and I has woken every 1-2 hours pretty consistently since she was 3.5 months.
How did you manage working full time without sleep?

I also can't get a cleaner! So we will have to lower our standards (even more). But that's not the end of the world

Honestly? By 11 months you could do some sleep training - a child that age doesn’t need to wake every 1-2 hours. I wouldn’t have been able to work effectively if that was my night time so I’d gently suggest you look into a type of sleep training you think you could handle before you go back full time. If she is waking all the time still, then you and your DH need to share so you both get a long chunk each.
as for missing time with them, you will a bit, but it is also nice to have adult time, cups to tea in peace etc then you can really make the most of the mornings/evenings without being a bit over hanging out with a toddler all day 😅 there are pros and cons, so focus on the pros list !

Yeah I don't think sleep training is the answer. I've already tried all sorts with her, including spending a lot of money on a sleep consultant, and nothing has worked.

I see what you mean about focusing on the pros. I'm hoping when the time comes it won't be as hard as I'm expecting