Resuming Work After Child Birth

‘TIME FLIES’ are the most common words exchanged between mommies.

It is very difficult to start your career again after having a baby. The tragedy of Indian mothers is they are pressurized a lot by their family as well as society. 

When a woman gets pregnant, she takes a break from work or takes work from home during her 7th/8th month of pregnancy. After her baby, she resumes work which is on a roller coaster ride where all the emotions – happy, guilty, excited, nervous, upset and vulnerable are involved. Believe me, going back to work is tougher than letting your child go to school. I hope this blog helps out all the mommies out there who are planning to resume back to work. I know by far this journey gives the coldest feet ever. 

Tips on how to resume back to work - 

1. Maid orientation and Set Expectations – Before you start working hire your full-time nanny or part-time cleaners and cook. I know this will burn a hole in the pocket but better than burning heartache and anxiety. Set clear expectations with family and partner. Coordinate your schedules and child care management. Divide up household chores. It is always good to make a sick day plan. Set expectations with your spouse. Ask for support from your husband because honestly, man needs to be asked. They just cannot be perceptive. 
2. Stocking up – To ensure that your mornings are smooth, you can stock up your groceries, medicines, home needs, veggies etc. Outsource some of the work, take calls during a commute, use the time-saving hack, order veggies and groceries online, opt for some simple easy meal preparation in the morning, pack a day in advance for kid, office and husband and divide responsibility with husband. This will ease your mental bandwidth. 
3. De-clutter the laptop and Staying Focused – When at home focus on your child and family, when at the office ensure to spend time meaningful and constructive. Quality is more important than quantity. Before resuming work, declutter your laptop/ desktop, inbox, folders etc so that you know where to start from. 
4. Avoid Guilt feeling – To avoid mom guilt, come over the notion that to be a good great mom you have to stay with the baby 24 hours. The child will see the mother as an independent and confident person. Always create a space to talk to family, friends, or partners. Don’t feel guilty at the end of the day for not being with the child. 

After resuming back, it is very important to self induct. You have to be self induced because you have new people, a new system, and new processes. Another important thing is don’t miss out on networking. Networking needs are here to stay even if chatbots and robots run the show. So go for coffee breaks or a small walk with stakeholders, partners etc. Be in touch with maids. Try to respond to emails at night. 

Dear Moms, please don’t sacrifice your career. You can make it possible. You can manage everything. Best of luck to all of you..!

Being a happy mom is more important than being a perfect mom. 

Megha writes on a broad range of subjects for websites and continues to ensure her business clients are advantaged by her writing skills. She is a content creator and academic writer

She is a Human Resource Professional and a Lecturer in University. After becoming a Mother, Megha set herself up as a freelance writer and consultant.