You’ve Had Your Baby and Want to Return to Work – Now What?

Guest post by Emma Anderson

It is never an easy decision, and it is never an easy time, yet many families and mothers have to make the decision and choose when to return to work after having a baby.

Although money may be a large part of the reasoning for this, there may be many other factors that influence your decision also.

The reason you have made this choice is immaterial really, but the result is the same for whatever reason it is. You will have to leave your baby in the hands of someone else, and you can have mixed emotions about this. You want to go back to work, yet you have to leave your baby in the care of, who will be at the start, strangers. In some cases, you may be lucky and have family or friends to rely upon to do this.

It is likely that guilt will creep in, and you will become a little anxious when you struggle with your emotions. You will start questioning yourself, and think ‘have you made the right decision?’.

During this thought period, you can decide if returning to your old position, or something similar is the way you wish to take your career, especially in the beginning.

You may have doubts about your ability back in the workplace. Things may have changed quite a bit from when you used to be there. The business world, after all, is building up speed all the time. The one thing you should try not to do is panic. It is not the end of the world. Deciding on going back to work, now that you are a mother, is a decision that does not come lightly.

Have you chosen the right time?

There is never a right or wrong time for deciding when to go back to work. You will never be 100% sure, yet if you are almost certain, then you can make that hard decision and think it is time for your return. Anything less than 70% or 80% means you are still having doubts and may need to re-think the idea.

New Skills

Once you have decided to return to work, you can either brush up on some new skills or polish up on some old ones. Freelance sites are all the rage at the moment, yet some of them require you to spend a lot of time trying to find your first couple of projects. If you have the right skills and can use a word processor, and are pretty good at formatting, there is another more relaxed option – resume writing.

All around the USA, there are businesses built on the back of providing a professional resume for job seekers. Much of this work is often outsourced to people, such as yourself. You may also find, friends or family, know individuals who are looking for resume help in your area. This can be another way to brush up on your skills.

Working Patterns

As for returning to work, if you have the opportunity to have a flexible working pattern, all the better for you. If not, you may have to get your time management skills in order, as your mornings may become quite hectic, compared to what they used to be.

If you have the chance of flexible working patterns, even if it means condensing five working days into four, this can have a significant effect on you and your baby, as well as childcare costs.

Rights as a Parent

Before you go back to work, and it should be one of the first things that you know, is your rights as a parent. Some states have different laws than others, and you may be entitled to more than you had expected.

Not just in monetary terms, but also in time allowance. One of the major things new parents are unaware of is the fact that, if you work in a place that has more than 15 employees, they are not allowed by law to refuse you the opportunity to return to your old position because of childbirth.

Some of your leave entitlement may be unpaid, yet it works both ways, for the parents and the companies.

Practice and Preparation

As if, you have not had enough practice being a new mother. By practicing your new routine, you can learn how to cut out the unnecessary and just focus on what you have to do. Preparation can also be a real time saver during your mad morning rush. Having as much ready the night before can be a godsend. You may be tired from your new schedule, yet after time, things will become easier, and it will all become second nature.

Get Plenty of Rest

One of the largest complaints of new mothers returning to work is, they are continually tired. This can lead you to just falling to pieces and not holding it all together. Sleep is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. Now is the time you have to put your foot down and get your partner to chip in, and HELP.

Bio:

Emma Anderson is a professional resume writer at Job Frog Resumes – jobfrog.com.au. When not helping people get their dream jobs she is cleaning up after her 2-year-old daughter (and husband), and managing to get some sleep here and there.

Twitter – @jobfrogresumes

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JobFrogResumes/