As you approach the end of your maternity leave, you may be worried about the transition back into the work scene (not that you haven’t been working hard following the birth of your baby). However, there are some strategies that you should consider employing to ease your transition back into the workforce following the end of your maternity leave.
Ease Back Into Your Job
A fundamental strategy you will want to employ when returning to work after maternity leave is easing back into your job. Failing to ease back into your job can prove to be a major shock, particularly when you are a new mother.
One tactic to utilize in this regard is to set a return to work date for midweek. This lessens the initial period you will be away from your baby to two or three rather than five days. As an aside, adopting this tactic also permits your childcare provider to ease into that role as well.
Another idea is to go back to work for a portion of the day a two or three days before your leave officially ends. This can prove to be another useful transition tool for everyone involved in the process of your returning to work following maternity leave.
Following the shortened first week back at work, inquire of your employer if you might work a slightly reduced schedule the following week or two. Many employers are willing to assist new mothers in transitioning back to work following maternity leave by permitting them to work something less than a full day, like 6.5 instead of 8 hours.
Stock Up On Essentials
Towards the end of your maternity leave term, you should consider stocking up on items that will be vital when you return to your job. For example, you may have yet to purchase a breast pump. If you are breastfeeding, this is essential. You will want to obtain and start using a breast pump before the date you return to work.
In addition, to obtain a breast pump, get a decent-looking bag to carry it. You want to acquire a bag that doesn’t scream “breast pump bag.” Although using a breast pump is perfectly acceptable and necessary, you want to maintain a professional presence in the workplace. Available, accessible nursing pads can help prevent an issue with delayed use of a breast pump.
The odds are that you already felt pressed for time during your maternity leave. Dinner prep was likely an afterthought on many occasions. When going back to work, your available time to prepare dinner will be even further impacted.
Before returning to work, do some dinner prep. Prepare and freeze several meals that you can then use after returning to work. This strategy can work to ensure that you have healthy meals, even on nights when you are overwhelmed by other issues.
Look Good And Feel Great
Your prenatal clothing will not fit in the fairly immediate aftermath of giving birth for most women. In addition, ill-fitting clothing is likely to make you feel uncomfortable and even less attractive.
Before returning to work, take the time (and spend the money) on yourself. Purchase some postpartum clothing items. In this day and age, you will find that there are many attractive options available to you. In other words, stock up on some apparel items that make you look good and feel great.
Think Outside The Box
One area in which you are likely to face emotional issues centers on leaving your baby with a childcare provider. The reality is that your baby need not be in childcare all of the time you are at work,
A slowly growing number of employers are offering their new mothers some alternatives that limit the amount of time a baby is in childcare. Even some employers permit a new mother the ability to bring a baby to work for a certain amount of time each week. Larger enterprises even maintain childcare alternatives on-site, which tends to be an easier choice for a new mother.
If grandparents are close to where you live, they would often like nothing more than care for your baby at different times during the workweek. The bottom line is that you can and should be creative when it comes to caring for your baby when you are at work. Traditional childcare options are not your only options in the 21st century. Finding out what else works requires creativity and research on your part.
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