Transition to Motherhood: Returning to work or staying at home
Deciding whether or not to return to work following the birth of a baby is a huge decision. For some, it may not be a choice due to financial constraints, but regardless, it is something that most moms have strong feelings about one way or another. If you are going to be staying at home, even if this is something you are happy to be doing, there are often still feelings of loss for your formerly employed self and the identity of who you were as a working woman. This is normal and to be expected when making such a huge life transition. And don’t underestimate the full time job that you will be doing as a stay at home mom. Sure, there is much joy to be had at home with your baby, but this is WORK, even though society often does not value it monetarily. You need and deserve breaks and vacations, just like anyone who is gainfully employed.
For those returning to work, either by choice or otherwise, it is something that takes preparation and adjustment. When you return to work as a mom for the first time, you are going back to your job as a different person then you were when you left. You may no longer feel the same sense of commitment to your job, things that felt like a big deal BB (Before Baby), may no longer have the same significance to you, you may find you spend all day counting the hours until you can return home to your child. I often hear from working moms that they are now much more productive at work then they were BB because they know that come 5pm, they are out the door. No more leisurely lunches, or long talks by the water cooler. Time at work is spent doing whatever you have to do to leave on time.
If you are going back to work as a breastfeeding mom, you have an additional layer of challenge and responsibility. You are now tasked with doing your job while simultaneously producing food for your baby. Here are a few tips for helping make this process a bit easier.
It is always a good idea to reach out to a lactation consultant or La Leche leader to ask questions about ways you can protect your milk supply or increase your pumping ability while at work. For a list of lactation consultants in the Chicago area, please click here.
If you haven’t introduced a bottle to your baby or your baby is on a bottle boycott, check out this article about how to reintroduce the bottle to your baby.
Talk to your boss about what private, non bathroom space you will have access to in order to pump 2-3 times a day. By law, your employer is required to provide this for you.
When you are pumping at work, you will have the most success at pumping the most milk if you are able to relax. This means not responding to work emails or attending stressful conference calls while pumping. If your employer offers a nursing moms room, this is even better because it means you will be leaving your stressful work environment to pump. I strongly recommend doing something mindless like reading your US Weekly or People Magazine while pumping. Also, having a picture of your baby to look at can help as well.
Whether your plans involve returning to work or staying home after you have a baby, a mom has many jobs. Give yourself permission to take breaks, ask for help and get the support you need in order to be the best mom you can be.