Meet Kayla: A 20 year something-year-old female. Momma to a sweet one year old boy named Cameron. Kayla shares her tips on returning to work after Maternity leave. Be sure to visit her blog as she shares her passion for fitness, healthy lifestyles, saving money, marketing, fashion, make-up and of course being a Mommy to a tiny human.
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In June 2017 I returned to work after having a baby and being off work for over a year. I remember dreadfully counting down the number of days we had left together before I had to go back to my 9-5 office job. The first 3 weeks were the toughest. I was exhausted, struggling with what to cook for dinner, battling the traffic to and from work and being away from my son for 10 hours a day.
Here are my tips for returning to work after maternity leave and what worked for me and our family.
1) Get organized the night before, for you and your baby.
Not only do I pick out my son’s clothes for daycare, I also pick out my own clothes, pack my gym bag (for the gym at lunch), meal prep my lunch and snacks, get the coffee ready and set a timer, shower and straighten my hair the night before.
2) Wake up early and even earlier in the winter
I give myself a full hour in the morning to get ready and out the door on time. The Canadian winters can be harsh and unpredictable. Snowy winter days means you’ll have to sweep off the car and let it run for 15 minutes to warm up. I give myself and extra 10 minutes in the winter months to get boots, coats, hat, gloves etc. on and into the car.
3) Bring photos of you baby to work
I was so excited to print out photos of my sons first birthday and decorate my office with them, I would look at a photo of him smiling, covered in cake and it instantly brought a smile to my face
4) See the value and take pride in your work
As amazing as maternity leave was and how much I valued this time with my son, it is nice to know you are good at something aside from parenting. Don’t get me wrong, motherhood is the best job in the world and I would not change it for anything. Getting back to the digital marketing and e-commerce world felt great.
(pinterest)
6 months later, we’ve all adjusted and settled into our new normal. We look forward to the weekends, stat holidays and vacation days. Most importantly, we value and cherish the time we have together.
Canada Day 2017