I was generally looking forward to getting back to work, although I would be lying if I said I didn’t have days when I wavered on this because I genuinely enjoyed both maternity leaves, it is such a special time and having gone back after my eldest son was born, I had an insight into how much of a juggle life was about to become again.
But ultimately, I was ready to fill my days with more than baby activities, the endless washing & running the home and was looking forward to adult conversation that didn’t include discussions about sleep habits, milestones and valued me beyond being a Mum. I was lucky that I had a supportive boss and was returning to my part-time hours in a job I was familiar with, but there had been a lot of changes to my team during my maternity leave that left me wondering what I would be returning to.
My eldest son didn’t settle well at nursery and I was worried for a similar experience with Joshua, especially as he was a lot clingier as a baby by comparison. We were also settling both boys into new environments and routines with my eldest starting school and Joshua starting nursery at the same time, I worried about how both would adjust.
Despite my desire to go back to work, as my return to work got closer, I increasingly worried about how I would manage to stay on top of a demanding job as well as all that is needed at home and for the boys, but you very quickly adapt and learn to prioritise what is important and I think become more efficient with your time as a result.
Mine and my husband’s working patterns have changed significantly since Covid-19, we work from home a lot more than ever before which has been a huge positive for us as a family. With this plus my eldest starting school we decided to change nursery’s to make things easier logistically when it came to the school run. Unfortunately, it wasn’t confirmed until 5 weeks before I started work that our preferred nursery had a place for Joshua.
Not knowing until so close to my return to work was stressful, we had to arrange a back-up option at late notice & when eventually we got a place confirmed it wasn’t for our preferred days, so it meant re-arranging childcare arrangements. Much of my last few weeks of maternity leave were spent worrying about where Joshua would go to nursery, the logistics of drop-off with two children in different locations, arranging back-up childcare or re-arranging prior plans! To have certainty earlier would’ve resulted in a more enjoyable end to my maternity.
Thank you so much Claire!
