After spending nearly 16.5 months with my precious little one, I am back to practicing law
full-time. In the past, fortunately, adapting to new settings and routines has not been too
difficult for me but it was a bit different this time. As a parent, you naturally tend to give a
thought to how your decision will affect your children. From spending nearly every moment
with your baby, you would only be seeing them in the morning and then after a long, possibly
exhausting, day at work. Personally, it was more the uncertainty surrounding how my little
one would react to the change that was daunting, than how the change would impact me. Be
prepared to undergo an emotional roller-coaster but please don't feel guilty to express and
embrace those feelings without losing yourself in them. In the end, let me tell you from
experience - you and your precious one will be just fine. They will adapt & so will you.
If you are returning to work after a maternity leave or have recently returned to work,
I am sharing three top recommendations with you which will hopefully make you
feel at ease and make your transition back to work smooth.
Your Little One will Acclimate
As moms, we tend to become anxious with the thought of whether your baby will adjust
without you for a chunk of the day. But have you noticed your babies' inherent power to
get accustomed to new environments and drastic changes? They adapt to a completely
new world after thriving in the comfort of the womb for a considerable length of time.
They develop, learn, grow and change.
Of course, all babies are special and different in their own ways. They may adjust on
the first day that you return to work or may take a few days, weeks or even months.
Oddly, for me, it was the mere thought that he will be fine that helped me focus on my
work tasks. So, no matter how difficult the first few days may be, you should return
from work one day and find a happy, smiling baby. He/she may even ignore you
(true story) for a while and exhibit love and affection towards you eventually.
Quality Child Care is the Key
As parents, we realize that if our children are happy, so will we. We strive to provide
our children with the safety and security that they require in order to support their
overall development. While it may be very difficult to replicate that same supporting
environment because they are in the hands of new caregivers, it may help you get
through the day knowing how they are responding to the change. As such, try finding
daycares that allow you to access its live stream to enable you to see what your child
is doing in realtime. If your child is with a family member or grandparents, make use
of text messaging and video calling as needed. Being able to monitor your child in the
new setting without you will also allow you to judge the quality of the child care being
provided. Again, their development shouldn't suffer in our absence. Look further into
the daycare you have selected and review the testimonials to ensure your child's early
developmental stage is not curtailed in any way.
Make Necessary Adjustments
It goes without saying that you may need to make adjustments according to how your
baby reacts. If you notice your baby constantly crying (which you should be able
to monitor with live streaming), be sure to give them a few days to see if their
behaviour changes before making adjustments such as changing caregivers. If the
behaviour doesn't change, then you can make the required adjustments such as changing
the caregiver or changing your work hours. This may look like shifting to part-time
hours that slowly convert to full-time. Make sure your work allows some flexibility.
Absent flexibility, don't be shy from reaching out to your employer to prepare them
for those varying hours and initial absences from work. Ask and you shall receive.
Other
The internet is inundated with other helpful tips. Be sure to read those and speak to other
new moms and family members to see how they made the necessary adjustments.
We can learn a lot from others' experiences. And, keep going Mama - this hurdle in
your life too shall pass.
Stay Thriving,
Maninder Sandhu Grewal
