Returning to work after mat leave
There’s always a fine balance between work and family, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I recently resumed work after my maternity leave expired and I can tell you that it has not been easy caring for an 8-month baby and working on a full-time 9-5 job. I’ll take you back to a week before my resumption and my first day of resumption.
Before I resumed work, I had a colleague who also went on maternity leave a year before I did and she would tell me tales of how emotionally attached she was with her baby and I could tell that she really missed her baby from her ‘every second call’ to her nanny. With that in mind, I began to set my emotions in check for the D-day.
On the morning of my resumption, I woke up in a high spirit, I had my bath, wore my favorite floral dress that I had abandoned when I was pregnant and put on some makeup and jewelry. After getting ready to leave for work, I stood in front of my full-length mirror and admired how beautiful I looked because sincerely speaking I had not had time for a proper me-time and self-care. Before I left home, I gave all my baby’s essentials to my sister who lives with my husband and me and told her all she needed to do for my baby.
After what seemed like a 10-mile drive to work, I was finally in front of my work building, at first I had a partial guilt feeling because I was not taking care for my baby by myself and I was not with her but then again I had to work to earn a living so that I can take care of her.
After being warmly welcomed by my colleagues I felt like my old self again and I gradually let go of the guilt feeling. However, an hour after I had settled at work, I began to miss my baby in a way that I couldn’t explain, it felt like I was missing a piece of me. Without further ado I called my sister’s phone but she didn’t respond, I dialed it again still no response and before I could calm myself, I began to cry because I was worried and scared, only for my sister to call me 3 minutes later to tell me that she was upstairs playing with my baby and her phone was downstairs.
I am gradually adjusting to my work life, although I still get emotional sometimes, I have improved and I know that 80% of nursing mothers have experienced similar situations when they resume work. Getting a fine balance between work and family is always hectic but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.