Working Mama Routine

I am back at work, and feeling like I can handle this new gig as a working mama.  I experienced lots of anxiety about returning back to work, and it is quite possible that you found this blog post because you are having some major anxiety returning to work after maternity leave...

YOU'VE GOT THIS MAMA!

My transition has thus far has been fairly smooth, but I do understand that I have a lot on my side with the big one being in home care for Lucia.   

I wanted to share a few things that I did in order to make the transition a little smoother.

• Communicate with your caregiver; I drafted a 4 page document (excessive? perhaps) sharing Lucia's general schedule and everything I thought would be helpful to my mother-in-law. It was also therapeutic to me. I felt a gazillion times better after writing it out on paper. I also went a little crazy with the label maker by labeling all of Lucia's necessities.  If I was going the daycare route I would probably have had a trial day. 

• I am exclusively pumping so I was no stranger to the pump, but if you are not it would be worth while to begin pumping before going back to work to become acquainted with the pump and to stash some breast milk in the freezer.  I also put a work pumping schedule into effect. A couple of weeks prior to returning to work, I began pumping on the schedule I planned to use when returning to work. I plan on posting all about my pumping journey and tips and tricks I have found along the way. 

• If possible, outsource.  Hire a cleaning service, utilize Amazon Prime for household necessities and use grocery delivery services like Peapod.    

• Stock your desk drawer full of healthy-ish snacks if you are pumping. Also, invest in a nice water bottle for after pump sessions when you are in need of ALL OF THE WATER.

• Plan meals and also realize you are not necessarily going to have the time to prepare the meals you did before baby. I was famous for running to the grocery story numerous times a week, and now I am religiously meal planning. I plan at least two crock pot meals, one convenience meal (think... Trader Joe's Orange Chicken or frozen pizza), one dining out/carry out meal and a simple meal for during the week.  The weekends are up in the air.

• Use your lunch break to meal plan, run errands, appointments, exercise, meet friends for lunch, etc.

• Challenge yourself to at least one household task before work and one household task after work. 

• Spend 45 minutes of uninterrupted time with your child immediately after returning home from work.  This is so important to me. It allows me to disconnect from work and reconnect to Lucia.  I am also much more adamant about 'disconnecting' on the weekends. I allow myself to blog, interact on social media and check e-mails during the time she is napping or the time that I am pumping.  It's all about the quality of the time being spent with your child!

• Talk to your boss about changing your schedule to something a bit more flexible. I have arranged for 2-3 early days and a more flexible start time in the morning. The ability to avoid rush hour traffic will be a big lifesaver! Get creative.