Heading Back To Work Soon?

02/11/2015

In Canada, we qualify for up to twelve months of paid maternity leave. This is truly an amazing amount of time to bond with your new baby, and witness all their first year milestones. For some women this year is accompanied by huge learning curves and for others, motherhood comes naturally.

Regardless of your situation, going back to work after being off can be very stressful.  Once again, here is another learning curve, and this time it includes not just you and your partner, it involves your precious little one!

So here are a few tips to help you prepare for re-entering the workplace with minimal stress.

Introduce your baby to their new daycare provider, at least six to eight weeks prior to returning to work! Not for long periods of time, just a couple hours at first and work your way up to a full day closer to the end of your maternity leave. This allows you and your child to become comfortable in their new surroundings, and with their new daycare provider. These little visits should be at all different times throughout the day, so that they are used to having naps and meals in there new setting.

Prepare some meals and freeze them! Trust me; these meals will save your life and your budget. After being off for a year, you forget what it is like coming home from work and have to cook! Now, you have a baby that wants your undivided attention because they haven’t seen you all day! Make good use of your time, when your baby is becoming acquainted with their new daycare, cook ahead and freeze meals!

Start scheduling in time just for YOU! This is a time in your day, or week that is set aside for you and only you! You can do whatever you want; have a hot quiet uninterrupted bath, go to the gym or enjoy a yoga class, give yourself a manicure. You need to put aside the guilt, and just do it; everyone will be fine without you for an hour or two! Besides, it gives daddy and baby time to do their own bonding.

Being a mom is the most rewarding feeling in the world, but nothing beats that feeling when you walk in the door, and your little one comes to you and wraps their arms around your neck to give you a big bear hug!

Are you ready to start your stress free transition back to work? Start to incorporate some of the above tips into your daily routine, and you will not be sorry, I guarantee you will have more time to cuddle with your little ones and truly enjoy your time together!