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Hawaii Babies
back to work on monday
Jack is 12 weeks old today = back to work on Monday.
MIL is coming to be our live in nanny for a month (EEK) and then DH's cousin is coming to do the same until the end of summer or when a spot opens at our preferred daycare center (probably sometime in Aug).
Any tips/words of wisdom?
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Re: back to work on monday
Don't expect it to be easy, but don't expect it to be entirely miserable either. Part of your expectations can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I eased back into work by doing 4 hours a couple of days, and then 6 hours, etc until I worked up to a full day. Have you been away from him for any stretches at all? Maybe you can go out this weekend for a few hours on your own to test it out.
Good luck - but you can do it! I know I am grateful that MH stays home with LO - it did make it easier that I didn't have to drop him off at a daycare.
I understand your worry. My baby is not even here yet (nor am I anywhere even near maternity leave!) & I am already dreading returning to work! I know it will be hard but we don't have a choice & so many other mamas have done it before us, it is definitely do-able. I am sure the first day is pretty tough, but with each passing day, I am confident it only gets better.
I remember a girl at my office who could only afford to take 6 weeks & on her first day back, I could see she was fighting back tears all day. But now, she is just fine & I think grateful for the quiet/alone time she gets while she is at the office.
Good luck & we will keep you company while you are at the office!
I haven't done it yet, but this strikes me as excellent advice. I'll have to remember this when my time comes (also at around 12 weeks).
this is excellent advice, while I'm not looking forward to leaving my baby I have been really going over everything I love about my job each time I think about returning.
My friend was just telling me that she wishes she would have had a better outlook about being pregnant. She convinced herself she would be early (like 38 weeks) and when she wasn't (ended up being induced 5 days after EDD) she would get more and more miserable and regrets that now. She didn't have any health concerns so it's not like it really was unbearable, she just got something in her mind and when it didn't happen she was really upset and negative.
I've just finished my first full week back and it was hard. The only day I didn't cry was yesterday. It doesn't help that for some reason my dept. (of two...me and my assistant) are under scrutiny right now. I am guessing it was because I was gone and now I am "paying the price." Whatev. There's a very passive-agressive corporate culture where I work...I guess because it's all women. I am doing my best not to take it personally.
My mom and/or J stay home with Libby so I am comforted in that fact. And she's doing great. It's really me that's been having a hard time. So I am trying to find my way. Here's a couple of things that are helping:
1) Using my commute home to transistion my brain from work mode back to mommy mode.
2) Venting any work frustrations to my mom or J as soon as I get home so I can get them off my chest and then I don't think or talk about them anymore.
3) As soon as I get home I empty my pumped milk from the day into the storage containers for the fridge, put pump parts, bottles, etc. into hot soapy water in the sink, recharge my pump and put the ice packs into the freezer so they'll be ready for the next morning. Then I change out of my work clothes, wash my face, etc. and take Libby and nurse her. I use this as my time to reconnect with her. After this she usually goes down for a nap and I can finish cleaning my pump parts, etc. and get dinner ready (if J is working that evening, if not, he'll cook and I can do other chores like laundry, etc.)
4) Make sure on the weekends to spend as much quality time as possible with Libby and J....I assume most of the duties since he has them all during the work week.
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Good luck! I'm not going to lie, the first day is ROUGH. It gets easier with each passing day. Do as much as you can in the evening so that you are not stressed in the morning (I consider myself a single mother in the am since my husband leaves before I even wake up).
As much as I wish I could be a stay at home mom, I enjoy going to work and I think day care is good for Ashton.
You'll be okay:-)