It feels like yesterday that you were welcoming your little angel into the world.  You remember the cries and cuddles. The diapers and bibs.  Except it wasn’t yesterday.  It was about three to four months ago and it is time to GO.BACK.TO.WORK.               

Going back to work after maternity or child bonding leave can be hard for all parties involved.  Let’s be honest. This is a true transition period and while it may not be 100% smooth, you’ll learn more about yourself and your children than you could ever imagine. Most of the emotions you’ll encounter are totally normal and totally understandable.  Luckily, you’re not the first person to go through this!  Some OG moms have gotten together to provide some tips and tricks to getting through this pivotal period with as little scratches as possible.

First and foremost, go easy on yourself.  Expect this period to be hard and anticipate being tired.  It’s going to take you a little bit of time to acclimate back to the workplace.  If you aren’t as fast as you were before leave, remember that time will get you there.  If you’re snippier than usual, or can’t make it to the gym – maybe things will be better tomorrow.  Don’t dwell!

 Something you can definitely do to ease the stresses of transition is to time your life so that this is the only big transition.  This is hard enough on you and the family, don’t make things worse by adding stressors from other transitions. 

We can also assume things might get a little chaotic.  Part of being a parent is trying to get better at organization.  The more organized you are the better off you’ll be.  If you can get your childcare in place early this can be one less thing you have to worry about.  Consider writing things down.  Lists are the new black.  Keeping an “extra” of things around is key to maintaining a schedule!  Maybe keep extra pumping parts in the office in case you run out, extra bibs and extra baby wipes are a must!

Finally, make time for yourself.  You’ll learn this is an extremely selfless time for you.  You’ll want to make sure your baby, your family and your friends have everything they need.  It will be easy to forget about your own needs.  Self-care is very important during this time!

If you do all of these things, odds are the transition will STILL be hard.  This is expected and this too shall pass.  Before you know it, you’ll be shuttling your kids off to college and attending their weddings.  Enjoy these chaotic, stressful times.