Returning to work dread

Mustardseed2007

I have to go back to work on Monday and I'm dreading it. But not really just because of the fact that I'm going to have to leave my LO. 

I am absolutely dreading the condition that my work will be in when I get back. I work in an office full of very nice people, but it is also sometimes highly political (like lots of offices). I know when our office manager came back, she was being blamed for problems with her work product that other people noticed while she was gone, and I'm sure she would have just handled with no issues or drama had she been there.

I already am seeing this as being a potential issue with my projects that were left half done when I went into labor. Outside help was called in to handle my stuff and from phone calls I've received while on maternity leave I just know that I am potentially returning to chaos, and what's worse, it's chaos that is being blown way out of proportion. 

Anyone else dealing with this stress? Any working moms who already have been through this have any advice ?  

MI-bride

I hear you.  I have been reading through my emails as they come through on my phone and I am not looking forward to it and I still have nearly 2 months left!
Before i left, I was told that when i returned, there will be someone new in my position and that I was going to be returning to work in a different position.  I also left a ton of projects half finished and I couldn't understand why I was being told to start so many SO close to my due date.  Heck, they wanted me to travel the week before my due date!

My best advice is to walk in and just take control of your job and not let the politics bother you.  Confidence is the best tool.

l_elizabeth

I'm returning to work (part-time) in 3 weeks, but I've been there with my first son. It's hard, and very emotional. It's probably more about leaving your LO than dealing with work stress, because it's a huge emotional change, and I swear every new mom goes through it at some point (you're not alone). My advice is to a) not over-think it right now and b) don't worry about all the what-ifs. You're still on leave until you arrive at work on Monday, so don't waste your last days worrying. You also have NO idea what it will be like, so assume the best and go in with a positive frame of mind. Sure, it might have gone to hell, but if that's the case you can figure it out when you're getting paid to (on Monday). Today you're job is to be a mom and enjoy your LO. I have a different outlook on things since having kids. They are what matters and everything else is just a thing in the scheme of things. It can all be fixed, worked out, and it's not going to define me. If you have a bad day, good news is you get to go home to your beautiful baby. Of course you need to take it seriously and work hard, but also remember the bigger picture. You've just been through something amazing and real, and it's this that makes our lives full, not work (IMO). Be excited to go back, enjoy things, and remember, even if things seem like a disaster, life is not. 

Mustardseed2007

Thank you both. That's great advice. I  was also asked to start a ton of projects before I left. I really focused on getting them all to a place where I had not left anything undone that I could do right then, and to leave it in a state where it was easy for someone else to pick up, but when you are looking at someone else's work it's so easy to say - why did she do it that way? And of course I'm not there to explain why I did it that way. 

 But yeah, today is for me and LO, I'll try and just handle Monday on Monday. 

 

jchytil

I'm dreading it also I am the manager of my department I oversee two full time employees and student interns. I have kept in touch on projects but I'm afraid I will have to reestablish guidelines and chain of command when I return. And I really don't want to leave my baby I'm afraid I will miss all his firsts.