Sleepless nights, 1am and 4 am feeds, bottles, sterilisers and nappies that always seem to be full, these are all the wonderful elements that surround those little bundles of (crying) joy. These are hard enough to deal with when there are two people at home and there are no other chores that have to be done. But what if you have no choice? What if you have to return to work soon after the birth of your baby?
If you have or wish to return to work while you have a newborn baby it can be a very tiring experience. There are a few things that you can do to prepare yourself for your return to make the transition an easier experience.
If you are still breastfeeding:
- Invest in a breast pump (for expressing milk when you are at work)
- Start to freeze ice cubes of your milk for when you are at work
- Train your baby to feed and sleep at regular intervals (texts such as the On Becoming Babywise series are very good teaching tools).
- Buy a little cooler bag so you can keep your pumped milk cool and fresh while traveling to and from work.
- Purchase work clothes that are easy to remove when you need to express milk.
- Enquire as to whether there are nursing rooms within your workplace.
- Enquire as to whether there is a daycare near or at your workplace that will allow you to breastfeed there.
All mothers that are returning to work and have a newborn baby should try and work out with their employers either reduced hours or a reduced working week. If you are returning to work soon after having a newborn, you will probably be very tired. A reduced working day even if it is only thirty minutes to an hour either side will help you to be more productive at work and more relaxed at home. You may also be able to opt to work at home for part of the week, but think about whether the baby will be a distraction to your work. Working from home could be helpful but it could actually become quite stressful. Remember to rest as much as you can and eat well while you are at work. Also, undertake a few trial runs away from the baby, so you and your baby get used to being a part for hours on end. Carefully planning your return to work will make the transition as easy and relaxed as possible.
