You have been on maternity leave for a little while now, and you are feeling ready to go back to work. More pressingly, you need to go back to work, because your allotted time is up, and you have some money to make! Either way, you have some important decisions to make right now, regarding your job and your children, and you might not know how to go about them.
That is why this post is here; we want to try to make your journey a little clearer, and help you find your way. So, without further ado, here are few things you should think about when your maternity leave is ending:
Take Your Time
You need to take things slowly right now. You need to go step by step, making sure you do not plunge yourself in at the deep end. After all, you have gone through a big change, and now you are about to go through another one — you are going to need to go back to work in a slow and sure manner.
If you are a full time worker, you might want to go back part time for the first 3 months. You can relearn how to do your job, as well as fit into the employee structure again. Even only go back for a week at a time, and take a week in between, just to make sure things are going well and you are slowly parting from being with your child full time.
Put Your Needs First
You need to put your needs first here, as a new parent, and that means being upfront with your employer and/or your colleagues. You have a lot of responsibility on your plate right now, and you might be struggling with it, and that needs to be talked about.
Set a precedent; make sure the people you work with know where you are, what you are doing, and if things are going to be a little bit bumpy for the foreseeable future. Set some priorities as well, to ensure you get the critical work done, and your boss is not unhappy with you. All in all, take some control here, because you need some right now!
Be Sure About Your Childcare Decisions
Obviously, you are not going to be around as much for your child anymore, and that might be what is hurting you the most. After all, it is not just kids that experience separation anxiety! So, you need to be sure about your childcare decisions.
Are you going to hire a nanny? Maybe a family member will be available? Maybe you could get in touch with a nearby childcare center? No matter what you decide is best for you and your little one here, make sure you are comfortable with how things will proceed, because you will not be able to get back to work and focus otherwise.
There are several options available to you. For example, if you visit goaupair.com you can explore their database of fully vetted and experienced childcare providers. You can ask questions and get to know potential nannies before making any final decisions. Au Pairs charge per family rather than per child which offers an affordable childcare solution if you have multiple children. Ultimately, you should explore all options before making any commitments as you want to make sure you are making the right decision for you and your family.
Your maternity leave is about to finish; what happens now? Well, you are in control of the narrative here, so make sure you decide what is going on in your life.
