Going back to work after 6 months of maternity leave

Hi Friends,

So, it is nearly time… in exactly a week, I will be back at work and my little rascals are going to be minded by someone other than me. I am not worried about Alexei, who is now 4 years old and already has experience of me working Monday to Friday, but I am definitely worried about how my 6-month-old baby boy is going to react to me not being near him all the time.

Even when my hubby is home from work, he usually minds Alexei while I have Matthew. So, it is going to be a massive change for all involved. I am going to tell you the truth – I am absolutely petrified. I know that no one will take care of my boys better than me. I am sure that I am not alone in feeling like this and there are a lot of mammas out there going through exactly the same emotions.

My hubby does shift work, which means he works 3-4 12-hour days, so the boys will not be away from home all the time. But, he will have to learn how to multi-task with two boys, driving one to school, while trying to keep my baby boy to his routine.

So, in preparation of me going back to work, I started doing several things:

First of all, Matthew has started eating solids and I do not like feeding him store-bought baby foods. So, I spent the last couple of days preparing vegetable and fruit dishes for him to have each day that I am not at home. The dishes that I am preparing are all done by following recipes from a book called quick&easy weaning by Annabel Karmel. We’d followed this book for Alexei during his weaning and he eats pretty much everything, apart from blueberries and avocados. In preparation for us going back to work, we also purchased a lot of formula - so we have enough in stock to last us a while.

Tomorrow and the day after, I am going to be preparing and freezing food for Alexei as well, but he is easier to take care of as he eats pretty much anything that you are eating.

Secondly, I am writing out the routine for Matthew, for all who are minding him. It breaks my heart knowing that by the time I come home, he will be at his sleepy time and getting ready to go to bed, but at least I will always be there to have my one-on-one time with him at bedtime. I will also be there every weekend, so it will have to suffice.

Thirdly, as I am a scientist I need to catch up on research that was done in my area of research in the last 6 months. Hopefully, nothing too exciting happened and I can be the first… This involves reading a lot of publications and making a plan for upcoming weeks.

I am also preparing for work by purchasing the most essential items for my brain to work after sleepless nights with a baby who is not sleeping through the night – Coffee, thermal flask to bring coffee on the train, and a cup with the boys’ pictures to have coffee atwork.

The boys are not going to go to crèche as I had a really bad experience with Alexei being in one (a story for another time). Instead, they are going to be minded by my mother-in-law and father-in-law on days that my hubby is working or coming off the night-shift. So I know they are going to be well taken care of and it will be lovely for them to have a close relationship with their grandparents.

Take care everybody, and have a good day!

This story was published on December 27, 2017, on Babybluerascals (available here), and has been republished here with permission.