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Going Back to Work After Baby
Just as you're getting used to being home with your baby and your work life feels like a distant memory, you realize that your maternity leave is coming to an end. The thought of waking up at 6 a.m. and racing off to a job after being up all night with a crying baby seems impossible. And then there's the guilt: How can you spend so much time away from your infant?
No matter how long and hard you've thought about your decision to return to work, and how sure you are that it's the right choice, you need to be prepared for mixed emotions. "You might feel guilty about leaving your baby in someone else's care -- or you might feel guilty about being eager to go back to your old life," says Karol Ladd, coauthor of The Frazzled Factor: Relief for Working Moms. Although you'll inevitably encounter a few bumps along the way, these five tips will make heading back to work a little less stressful.
Practice Your New RoutineIt's bound to take a while to learn to balance your new roles -- and you'll do so more quickly if your daily routine is efficient and well organized. The best way to make sure your new schedule will work? Do a couple of practice runs the week before you're due back at the office. If possible, arrange for your child care to start a week or so early so that you can try out your routine -- and get used to parting with your baby. Make sure you set your alarm extra early your first week back to give yourself time to work out any kinks in your schedule. And don't forget to come up with a good backup plan for days when your baby (or your babysitter) is sick.
Get as Much Rest as You CanOne of the biggest complaints of working moms is sheer exhaustion -- and when you're overtired it's much easier to fall to pieces. Your own sleep needs should take priority over doing another load of laundry or cleaning up the kitchen. And have your husband pitch in whenever possible. Because you'll be getting up so early, you should aim to get to bed earlier too. Sticking to a 9 p.m. bedtime helped Heather Hill, of DeWitt, Michigan, get enough rest before her son Connor was sleeping through the night. "I woke up for the 2 a.m. feeding, and by that time, I'd had about five hours of sleep with a few more hours still ahead," says the mother of Sean, 6 years, and Connor, 10 months.
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Hi samsmom0407 i tryed that address you posted for workimg from home, but it didn't work. I live in Alberta, Canada. And I have 3 kids, I need to work, but I really wanna work from home. I'm self-motivated. Please help if U can. Thank you everybody for ur posts they help so much. God bless you all.
4/18/2012 10:14:12 PM Report AbuseGoing back to work is hard. Another option to consider is a work from home job. There are alot of them out there. And you can pick your own hours. I know American Income Life is a company with a solid background. May want to give them a try. I know they are hiring right now. You can find them on FB.http://on.fb.me/voxI1A
4/5/2012 10:10:10 PM Report AbuseYou have two grade-school aged children at home, and you have loved being able to be a stay-at-home mom for them. With pressures from the current economy, however, you now need to re-enter the workforce. How do you address your feelings of guilt for leaving your children while you go to work? How do you ease your family¿s transition?...http://tinyurl.com/7esmtrp
1/6/2012 10:36:38 AM Report AbuseI am a mom of 3. Going back to work doesn't get any eaiser. My husband and I rely on both of our incomes. I am preparing to go work this Friday. I am not excited about it at all. Actually, I am dreading it. I thought that with each pregnancy it would get easier (going back to work), but it doesn't. I feel guilty; I love being home with my kids.
11/16/2010 09:59:21 PM Report AbuseI went back to work three weeks ago: Usual day - cat attack at 4:30, pump at 6am, check work e-mail, at work by 8am, work until 4 (2 pumps, no lunch), baby time from 4:30 to bedtime at 8:30, more work until 10. That's about 11 hours of work, 4 hours with baby, and surprisingly little sleep. Predictably, I got tired, then got the flu. Careful, ladies - make sure your employer helps you set up a nice soft transition back to work!
9/27/2010 01:03:17 PM Report AbuseWith my 1st kid I returned after 6 wks,the groceries did not buy themselves. 8yrs later different kid same issue. We need the money to get a bit further than just getting by. I'm doing some dry runs before returning so I know his sitter can read his cues and he can deal with her for 9hrs. I wish the U.S. was better about helping returning moms so moms could get Mom-employment so moms can have 6 mos before going back to work for those of use who cannot get paid maternity leave.
7/9/2010 12:51:33 AM Report AbuseI'm a first time mommy and I'm just a mess. I have to go back to work in a couple of days I started pumping and freezing my milk but felt guilty at times that I would feed my son formula and would let him have it. So now I'm right where I started no routine no milk and all messed up about leaving him with my mother-in-law. I seriously need help. Any tips and advice would be very helpful and greatly appreciated.
5/20/2010 02:42:25 PM Report AbuseI have to go back to work in 2 weeks and I am seriously an emotional wreck! I don't want to work, but it takes mine and my husband's income to provide a good life for our son who is 12 weeks old. I am a teacher and get lots of time off and my husband's schedule works to where our son will only be in daycare 4 days a week every other month and 2 days a week every other month.
2/17/2010 01:00:23 PM Report AbuseToday is my first day back at work. We practiced yesterday. My toddler went to daycare for half a day, my provider fed my infant a bottle, we brought our supplies, and I got to practice leaving them. This practice made today easier. Still working through lots of feelings, but that is normal. Stephanie Working mom of two rock star boys! Follow me on www.childcaresavvy.com as I go back to work and struggle with all that includes.
1/15/2010 12:56:13 PM Report Abuse