Back to work and feeling it

LadyBugMe101

So, I have been MIA for a bit wanting to enjoy every bit of my LO while on my 6 week leave. Well that leave ended and I started working this Monday. I miss him so very much but find pleasure when my mom sends me pictures or we facetime during my lunch. I hope I did the right thing; I could have taken more time off but I just needed to get back to work for my sanity. Anyone else back? 

Also let me add a brag: Baby sleeps from 11:30pm to about 6am he started doing that this week... as if he knows momma needs more rest now. He eats his 5-6oz to hold him over. Not sure how long this will last but I will take what I can get :-)

anne11716

I go back in three weeks and I'm so nervous. I was on bed rest so I couldn't even start the scho year out (I'm a teacher) and while I'm excited to get back to a normal life routine, I'm so sad to leave my babe and have had a couple dreams about him being sad at daycare even though he's going to an awesome lady. Ah! Being that we start the bedtime routine at 7-7:30 now I won't have much time with him at all!!:( 

I do have a question though! My lo sleeps until 7 no matter what time I put him down it seems. He wakes up very hungry and I nurse him for 45 minutes or so as he is a very slow eater. When I return to work I will have to leave the house by 7:10 and don't know what to do about nursing. I feel like this will be one of the only times for me to nurse as he gets a bottle before bed. Do I wake him up?! 

kvruns

I still have another 4-5 weeks and it is daunting to think of. Part of me is ready in the sense I can do errands and maybe even work out after work. The other part of me has no idea how I'll be able to shower and get ready and then get him out the door. We try to get him up at 7am and he eats then but I know that's when I'll want to be leaving the house for daycare due to traffic. Hate to think how early I will end up waking up for this to happen. 

jlpsantiago68

I also went back to work this past Monday, and truth be told my first day back was very hectic. I have 2 elementary schools and LO that I needed to get ready plus myself. I packed and laid out as much as I could the night before to help with saving a little time in the morning. I fed LO before we left the house and when I dropped him off with a family member. My commute including taking and picking up my 2 older boys is over an hour each way. I am pumping at work which has been some what difficult I know how many ounces I need so he has milk for the next day but it has been a little challenging getting to that number thank goodness I had a stored up milk from when I was on leave. The first time I went to pump at work I called to check up on the LO and he was crying in the back ground and I was told he eat, diaper was changed but he was still crying and they did not know why. At that moment I was ready to leave work to pick him up. But I resisted the urge and instead text my husband with tears in my eyes saying "this is too hard" he called me within 3 minutes saying he just called and the baby was sleeping. At that moment I wiped my tears and tried to compose myself so I could go back to my desk. And not to mention before I went to pump I called the aftercare program to confirm my older boys would be able to attend and was told that not because they needed me to go to there office in person. Which when I called him back in November to get all the information about re-enrolling them no one mentioned that key part to me. So I was scrambling trying to find someone to pick them up from school and stay with them until I left work. I now have settled somewhat into a routine at work I pump at 10ish, 12ish, and then again at 3ish. The last pumping session is the hardest one for me. I have noticed a decrease in my milk especially my right boob for some reason. I work at a hospital so they provide hospital grade pumps for working mom's and I have access to a lactation consultant which has helped me a lot. They gave me the accessories for the hospital grade pump so I can use it. I was have problems with expressing my milk with my pump at work. Also they helped me when getting a good pumping schedule. My LO drinks (3) 4 oz bottles while I am at work so my magic number is 12 ounces or more a day just to keep up wits him. I also have noticed that he is nursing at more when he is with me so it is getting a little bit harder to pump at home but I try to get 1 pumping session in before bed if I'm not too exhausted. 

MrsBigTime

I go back next Wednesday and finally today my LO drank an ounce out of a bottle. Halle-le-freaking-lulah!! 
We've been battling this for 5 weeks and even had her evaluated by a Speech Therapist to rule out any physical reasons why she may be gagging and refusing. Turns out, she just loves her mama. What finally worked (at least this once, I'm going to try again every day!) was the Lansinoh Momma bottle and giving it to her while lying in bed (as we do when I nurse her to sleep). I'm away from the house for 14 hours and I wasn't quite sure what we'd do if she didn't finally give in! 

kvruns

@mrsbigtime who watches her when you're gone?

kvruns

My boss just asked if I would start working an hour a day bc she is drowning between my stuff and taking on responsibilities from our president leaving. I'm not sure what an hour a day would accomplish though?

MollySm

I run an in-home daycare,  so I've been 'back' at work since my baby was a week old.   I know it allows me to be home with my kids,  and still help support our family financially.   But I'm exhausted.   

MrsBigTime

kvruns said:

@mrsbigtime who watches her when you're gone?

I have a mix of daddy, nanny and babysitter. I only work 2 days a week, thank goodness!

SandNStarsNJ

MollySm said:

I run an in-home daycare,  so I've been 'back' at work since my baby was a week old.   I know it allows me to be home with my kids,  and still help support our family financially.   But I'm exhausted.   

I can't imagine! I always wanted to run a daycare. But with your own newborn? Yikes!

Megz1902

I will be going back to work in about a month. I'm starting to dread leaving her at daycare. I would love to stay home with her, but no matter how I crunch the numbers, it is just financially not going to work (paying off student loans for a few more years, plus 2 car lease payments). 

For those of you who have your child(ren) in daycare, any words of advice to reassure me that she (and I) will be OK? I was in tears this morning just thinking about it and desperately trying to work the budget numbers in a way that I could stay home. 

MrsBigTime

@Megz1902 It's such a hard thing to do! To leave your sweet baby - ugh!! I promise it gets easier...never easy, but easier. I like to think that I'm giving my children the gift of having more adults who love them, expanding their safety net of people to trust and build relationships with. Our daycare lady is absolutely wonderful and she and DD1 really do love each other and it is heartwarming to hear about how much fun she had at "Miss Stephanie's". Of course, DD1 is older, but you'll get updates about what baby is doing, and little projects he/she will get to do.

do you have the option to go back pet-time? I was full time all DD'1 first year and going less made all the difference in the world. We can't afford for me not to work (oh how I wish!) but 60% offers me a bit of both worlds.

desoky01

I just started the application process (applied on Sunday night) and already had an interview today during which I was hired on the spot. I was really thinking the whole process would take a lot longer, and now I'm freaking out too. We have been trying to have H feed LO a bottle every so often but he doesn't like it much. He often cries and gets so confused and frustrated, and it's so hard for me to sit downstairs and listen to my baby cry. I'm sitting here right now sobbing as H and LO are trying to figure everything out. It's so hard to let go and trust that they will figure it out and be OK. Luckily I will only be gone for about 5 hours, but still! I don't feel anywhere near ready to leave my baby but we can't afford for me not to work. 

kristah2

@desoky01 have you had anyone besides DH try the bottle? 
DH has a lot of issues too. He fusses so much and it's a fight to get an oz in him and usually results in me giving him the boob 10 minutes later. 
However I left baby alone with my step mom last week for a couple hours while I went to the gym and he took the bottle no problem! 
Then I left him with my mom Saturday night so DH and I could go to dinner and a movie. He took 2 bottles from my mom with no issue! 
I don't know why. Maybe it's because they are female? Maybe they are better at bottle feeding? Maybe baby realizes he has no other option but bottle? I'm not sure. But it's the only way it works here. 
Maybe try someone else. Preferably when you're not even in the house (not just out of the room) maybe baby will take it which can ease your mind about childcare feedings. 
Also figure out what baby likes! I learned M likes his milk on the warmer side! 

SandNStarsNJ

Congratulations on the hire @desoky01! It might be sudden but is still awesome that you were hired on the spot. 

This is might sound odd, but has DH tried googling or watching a video online for bottle feeding? DH did with our first and he's a pro now. But he's also the kind of guy who watches a video on something and then just does it. This ranges from skeet shooting to dancing at our wedding to feeding a baby. 

desoky01

Good ideas ladies, we are definitely going to problem solve! Thankfully he took a couple ounces after posting when I was down in the basement. I'm hoping that it gets better with more practice, and I'll have to leave the house mornings for a bit so H and LO can practice. I've cried so much the last few days, but I'm just trusting that it will slowly get better and easier! 

lajoliedreamer

@Megz1902 - I just went back to work this week and put LO in day care. It breaks my heart, but every day has been a bit easier. The first morning I couldn't stop crying. The second morning it didn't hit until I was walking out of the classroom. The third morning it hit in the parking lot. And this morning the sadness didn't hit until I got in my car. After the first day, I was able to keep the tears away. We chose a daycare we felt 100% comfortable with even though it was more expensive than any other one we looked at so I have peace of mind about where she is spending her days. I like my job and having a routine again, so once I'm at work and focusing, I'm fine. The hardest part is when I stop to pump and look at pictures/videos. I miss her like crazy, but have found that it's making me pay attention more to every moment I have with her. Don't spend the time you have left dreading the future, you will ultimately be okay, and maybe someday the stars will align and you'll be able to have a budget that allows you to stay at home. That's what I'm hoping for, too.