Your First Day Back at Work After a Baby
Leaving your new baby for the first time and returning to work will be a big wrench and fraught with emotions, worries and anxieties. However well prepared you are you will still find it hard to leave your little bundle, but the most important thing to remember is that everyone feels the same!
Don’t Panic!
It will feel strange at first to be in such a totally different environment, and there is no doubt that you may feel a little out of place. However, every new parent feels the same and experiences the same level of worry and concern, and the majority of employers are understanding and sympathetic.Confidence
You may feel that you have lost a bit of your confidence while you have been on maternity leave, and things will obviously have been happening while you have been away. It is easy to start feeling as though you are losing control and that other people are muscling in on your position within the company.However, it’s really important to not let these feelings dominate your working day. Instead simply focus on doing a good job, being organised and efficient and settling back in to a pattern of working.
Give it Time
Having a baby changes us. Our priorities alter and the way we deal with problems and challenges is also affected. Mothers are well known for being highly organised, efficient people who can usually multi task brilliantly and cope with change and problems really well.Capitalise on these skills and make it clear to your colleagues that you are more than capable of dealing with all manner of issues that may crop up during the course of a working week-you just may well do things a bit differently to them-that’s all.
Taking Care of Yourself
It’s so easy to get all wrapped up in family life, babies and going back to work that you actually forget about yourself! You must accept that after a few sleepless nights you will find it hard to cope with long days at work, so if you can, try to negotiate shorter hours or flexi time for a while to give you a chance to get back into the swing of things. It’s much better for you to be at work for five hours and work well and effectively than to try and do an eight or ten hour day and then be exhausted for the rest of the week.Don’t Overdo it
When you’re not working take care of yourself and try and find time to relax. The first few days back are work are mentally and physically draining, not to mention emotionally difficult and you have to try and accept that this will happen and not fight it! Instead, when those first few early days are out of the way, get into a routine of resting when you can, not taking on too much (try not to bring work home with you for the first few weeks) and taking time out to enjoy your family without worrying about work. It will still be there when you get back to your desk, so while you are not in the office relax and recharge your batteries.
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