All working women face different lengths of maternity leave when they have their babies. Some are given six months, while others are given six weeks. There are even those who are given no paid maternity leave at all. And for those women, they have to make the choice between making sure they are healed and ready to work to bring in a paycheck and their brand-new babies. Something that no mother should have to do. For those women, finding tips for returning to work right after birth will be necessary to cope with what will be the new normal.
It takes nearly six weeks for women to be fully healed from childbirth. Unfortunately, not all women are able to take any time, let alone six weeks away from their jobs. If they do, they simply are not able to put food on the table or keep a roof over their and their babies' heads. And because of this, getting back to work so soon means dealing with postpartum pain or even depression while at work. This is something that can make it hard to focus on the task at hand in the office when all women want to do is be home with their babies and heal.
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Here are some tips for returning to birthright after work.
Coming back to work so soon after delivery, more flexibility may be needed. Be it getting the baby to daycare or needing to take time to pump right before coming in, in the morning, mothers may need to have a bit of flex to their schedules. Something that most employers should be able to appreciate.
According to Glamour, being straightforward with the boss is the best policy. That way the person knows why hours may need to shift. And as long as work is still getting done as asked for with productivity remaining high, most bosses should be able to accommodate a more flexible schedule in the short term to make life a bit easier for female employees who have given birth and immediately returned to work.
For those mothers who are returning to work in a short time after giving birth, childcare will need to be set up well before babies are born. This will ensure that there is a spot for babies as well as allow for a trial run or two before the day of returning to work to see how mom and baby do apart from one another.
According to UrbanSitter, not only will the main childcare provider need to be chosen, but a backup will also. This is so that if the main provider is sick or on vacation, then the backup can be called in a pinch. This makes it so that regardless of what happens, moms will not have to miss work, always having someone present to watch the kids.
The mornings are sure to be hectic when trying to get out of the house to get to work. As such, putting together a routine with babies in the morning to get them out of the house in the same manner daily will cut down on the stress while still getting in cuddle time with little ones.
According to What To Expect, the best thing that mothers who are returning to work can do is make their mornings as easy as possible. This means doing any prep the night before so that everything is almost automatic in the morning.
Doing this also allows moms and babies to spend some time together as part of the routine every morning before they head out the door. This helps to promote bonding and perhaps ease the mom guilt a bit as well.
For those moms who are planning on breastfeeding after returning to work, they will need to pump while at the office. Something that is not a huge deal in most office spaces. But, getting on a schedule, especially when the day is hectic, is important to make sure the milk flow does not decrease.
According to Willow, moms will need to pump three to four hours for every eight hours at work. As such, picking times of the day that are known to be quieter to pump may be a good option. So might the last part of the lunch hour. It all depends on how the office runs, which will determine how to best set up a pumping routine. Something that has to be done to keep the stash high and babies fed when at work.
In the first days and weeks back to work, the emotions mothers have will be all over the board. As such, mothers need to be patient with themselves, regardless of their temperament.
According to the Harvard Business Review, the first few weeks back to work after having a baby are one of the hardest. This is when many consider quitting their jobs because they have immense guilt about not being around their new babies. But, per the publication, if moms are able to hold on, they may just see how happy they are at their jobs.
If it turns out they are not, they gave it a fair shot. And that means that moms have to determine what is best for themselves and their children when it comes to working.
Source: Glamour, Harvard Business Review, UrbanSitter, Willow