Coping With Having a Baby and Returning to Work

Once a baby is just born, the thought of having to return to work is stressful and almost unimaginable for some, especially for first time parents. As much as many individuals would love to stay at home with their children, the majority of parents are financial unable to. To reduce the stress of returning to work there are some helpful tips that all new parents should at least consider following.

The foremost important decision to make before returning to work is childcare. You will need to know where you are going to send you baby when you will be at work. Speaking from experience, you need to make these plans ahead of time. Depending on where you live, daycare providers may have a large amount of openings or they will fill up quick.

Unfortunately, I waited until there were only two weeks remaining on my maternity leave. Due to the fact that childcare was extremely limited in my area, it was hard to find an opening. In addition to finding a provider who would even be able to legally care for my child, I had to check out their home and background. Since I failed to plan ahead, I had to have a family member care for my daughter until I found a suitable daycare provider. Around two weeks after returning to work was when I found the provider; therefore, I should have started planning right around when my daughter was born.

If you are uncomfortable with returning to work full-time, speak to your boss ahead of time. Depending on the flexibility of your company, you may have more options. If you are unable to return to work on a part-time basis, it may be a good idea to do trial runs with you new daycare provider. Dropping your child off at daycare for the afternoon while you run some errands or do something else will give each of you the opportunity to begin to cope with being away. There are many daycare providers who will be more than happy to do this for you at a reduced cost.

Once you return to work, do not feel ashamed to call the daycare. The majority of daycare providers know where you are coming from as a new mother and will be more than happy to answer your calls and reassure you that your child is doing fine.

The majority of babies will adjust to daycare just fine, it is often the parents who have the problem. I am now lucky to be a stay-at-home mother; however it requires a lot of financial sacrifice. I retuned to work right after my maternity leave ended and I worked for a less than a year, before I decided to quit my job. There are jobs where parents are able to work and still raise children; however, in the long run my job was just too difficult. Whatever you decide will be the best option for you, just be sure to start planning ahead of time.