Back to Work

Author: Lakeshia Arts

Returning back to work from maternity leave can be a tough transition for a new mom. Juggling a baby, full-time job, and home life can be tough. For advice on making the move, Tidewater Parent interviewed first time mom Paige Bouma, a sales development manager at CycleTrader.com with Dominion Enterprises and Linda Nelson, senior curriculum developer of Knowledge Universal Education Department at KinderCare on how to make the process smooth and effortless.

Mental preparation

After being on maternity leave for 10 weeks, Bouma had to mentally prepare herself on making the transition. "You have to get yourself geared up and excited to go back to work," Bouma said. "I would meet with my boss and other people from the office to get caught up on what was going on. Prior to returning, I would check emails from home to stay abreast of what was going on in the office.

Setting a schedule for a caregiver

Not willing to use daycare for her son Brandon, Bouma's mother-in-law became her full-time nanny. Bouma provided her a detailed schedule on how to care for her son while she was at work. "I had him on a sleep schedule," Bouma said. "I would write how long he napped, when to wake him up, feed him, play with him and put him back down for his nap. These were just some basic things I did so she and I would feel comfortable when I went back to work. We did some dry runs to make sure we all felt good about it."

Advice for parents during the transition

Before making the transition, ask the center's director and teacher how they support parents who are placing their child in the center's care when heading back to work. "Keep in mind that you may not know exactly what touch points you need to have with the center and your baby throughout the day until the first few days after you return to work," Nelson said. "Follow your heart and call or stop by the center as often as you need to during those first few weeks or months. Do not worry that about your calls or visits burdening the center director or teachers."

Putting parents at ease

Making a decision about child care and returning to work after being on maternity leave is very emotional for many parents. "Our center directors and teachers understand and respect the myriad of feelings that parents experience when they're leaving their children in our care to return to work," Nelson said. "Parents are encouraged to call and check on their babies at any time. They are encouraged to drop by for visits to rock, feed or simply play with their babies throughout the work day. Breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to stop by any time to feed their babies."

Overcoming fears

The biggest problem for most working moms is leaving work at work. "My life revolved around my job," Bouma. "I worked late hours and I would take a lot of work home with me. I have to work while I'm a work because when I go home, I have my second job of taking care of my family. There's always this fear of not being the best mom, wife, housekeeper, employee and friend. You want to be good at all these things. Mentally you have to escape from that. You have to makes some changes in order to be really good at what you do. It's all about changing your priorities."

Commitment to breastfeeding

Figuring out how to pump while at work can be a difficult task for new mothers. "I was pumping every two to three hours," Bouma said. "I talked to several mothers about how they made the transition and pumped while at work. I was worried you could hear the pump because it's loud. If I had to pump, I would stick a sign on the door that said I was in a meeting. I stored the milk in a refrigerator that was stored under my desk. I brought a little cooler with me every day to work with an ice pack so I could take the milk home with me at night."

Support system

Don't be hard on yourself and just do the best you can and don't beat your self up over it. "A friend once told me that you have to do what you can do to be a good mom," Bouma said. "Our family has a good rhythm now and we have it pulled together. And I feel good about that." Plus its good to communicate with others and not hold in all of those feelings. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You can't do it all. Don't try to be perfect.

Source: Tidewater Parent Magazine