For many moms, going back to work after a year of mat leave can be tough! The year can sneak away on us and before we know it we have to be back into a regular work day, slipping back into our dress pants and heels and saying goodbye to Lulu and flip flops! Going back to work can be a very hard things emotionally for mothers. There is such a strong bond that develops at a rapid pace when home pretty much 24-7 for a year. So whether your little one is going to a daycare centre, in-home care, or being looked after my grandma or a nanny, there will be an adjustment period- for both baby and mom.
But here is the thing which many moms let slip their mind….making the transition smoother and HOW to make it smoother and less stressful. We tend to forget about all the things that factor into our stresses. See where I am getting at?
For Baby:
- What helps a baby with behaviour, development and coping skills? SLEEP
- What is top rated for healthy babies? SLEEP
For Mom (we tend to forget about ourselves!):
- What is imperative to reduce stress? SLEEP
- What makes us less emotional? SLEEP
- What helps us make better food choices? SLEEP
- What is so good for health and ridding stress? EXERCISE
- When can we exercise? WHEN BABY SLEEPS!
What I am saying is, it would be very wise to get your babies sleep habits under control at least a few months before heading back to work. This gives you time to really enjoy the last bit of maternity leave rested and present to really take in all the fabulous amazing moments before you head back to a desk. Your family will not be sleep deprived! This will in turn give you time to set some goals to make some time for like:
- Exercise if you haven’t gotten around to like
- Making better food choices to drop the last few baby “meat” LB’s that you swore you would do before you have to go back to work
- Read a good girly book
- Get some date nights in because you will be rested and know your baby is sleeping and not waking up every hour (no panic texts from the sitter!)
When you go back to work you will go back in a much better state of mind.
- You will know your baby is getting proper rest and will be resting well at daycare because he now knows how to-CHECK
- You will be rested and had a full nights sleep too- CHECK
- You will feel good about yourself -CHECK
- You will not be giving your hubby the stink eye because he had 9 hours sleep and you 2 hrs- CHECK
- People at daycare will be jealous of how well your baby sleeps and how damn good you look – CHECK