Going back to work

egen78

any advice on how to make the transition back to work easier?

ebilbao

I just came back on Monday, and the anticipation was truly worse than the actual event. Try to nurse/feed LO yourself before you leave. DS wakes at 5 and we nurse and snuggle for an hour before I get up and DH takes over. It made me feel so much better getting to be with him before I left for the day. Good luck-your LO will still smile the biggest for you and you will still maintain your special bond.

xc1148

I agree the anticipation was worse than the event. Things that made it easier for me: 

1) I LOVE LOVE LOVE my nanny. I didn't feel good about going back to work until I met her.

2) i bought a new wardrobe, so i felt new and excited

3) my husband worked from home the first two days so he sent me lots of pictures

I won't lie, I have a phenomenal job at a great company and if I worked anywhere else I would have quit. I wasn't sad about leaving my daughter, it's just that I am used to being with her 24/7 and it felt weird to not have her around. At my job I work from home several days a week and can come in late/leave early. Also for me, the second day was a lot harder than the first for some reason.

Good luck!!

damerida

Enjoy your freedom!  Yes, it's hard leaving your little bundle, but I appreciate him so much more now that I'm not with him 24/7.  Our time together is special, and I'm focused on him and waaay happier, so I think it's better all around.  Also, he loves daycare, the daycare staff loves him, and he is making friends and singing songs and having a great time. It's much more stimulating that me trying to entertain him at home. Also, it took about a week to adjust, but he is sleeping soooo much better now that he's on a schedule at daycare.  They taught me so much about how to get him to sleep at night too.
We go to an at-home daycare with a woman that's been doing it for 28 years.  Like going to grandma's house, except that it hasn't been 30 years since she's taken care of a baby!  Having the right place is the most important thing, even if it's putting us in the poor house.
I take pictures of him every night on my phone so I have new photos to look at of him while I am pumping every day. 

DreDreM

Not sure if you're pumping at work, but photos and videos on my phone of my LO were really nice when I was missing him. I also did a trial run of our routine before my actual first day back. Helped me figure out how long it would take to get ready and pack everything LO would need at daycare.

ashleyv1988

Just know it gets so much easier! The first couple weeks I was super emotional and now we are doing great! I'd recommend just taking it easy on yourself and remember you can't do everything but a routine will come!

SerenityAE

damerida said:

Enjoy your freedom!  Yes, it's hard leaving your little bundle, but I appreciate him so much more now that I'm not with him 24/7.  Our time together is special, and I'm focused on him and waaay happier, so I think it's better all around.  Also, he loves daycare, the daycare staff loves him, and he is making friends and singing songs and having a great time. It's much more stimulating that me trying to entertain him at home. Also, it took about a week to adjust, but he is sleeping soooo much better now that he's on a schedule at daycare.  They taught me so much about how to get him to sleep at night too.
We go to an at-home daycare with a woman that's been doing it for 28 years.  Like going to grandma's house, except that it hasn't been 30 years since she's taken care of a baby!  Having the right place is the most important thing, even if it's putting us in the poor house.
I take pictures of him every night on my phone so I have new photos to look at of him while I am pumping every day. 

All of this. The freedom during the day- after the first week or two of getting used to being away from him- helps you feel like an adult again. My daycare ladies will send me pics of him sometimes, he's happy and well adjusted and adores his teachers. He's only 5 months old but they're already doing little art projects with him. Its really stinkin cute to get stuff with his footprint on it.