I had 18 weeks maternity leave and have 8 weeks left. I know I still have quite a bit of time, but I am already feeling a little anxious at the idea of going back to work and leaving my baby at home. I think it is less about going back to work, but about the inevitable calls and emails I’ll get in the evenings and on weekends when I am back. I am just worried about missing out on so much. Just looking for words of encouragement.

Time blocking and establishing boundaries is your goal. Outside of signings and closings, doing breakfast, dinner, and bedtime are blocked off for me. And on weekends, I do the music class, gymnastics, etc and block those off as well. Do I then find myself working until 2am sometimes because I didn't work 530 - 730pm, yes. Is it worth it, also yes. (My kids are currently 3 and 2, for reference.)

Wow, 26 weeks is incredible (though still not enough!) if you’re in the US.

For me, the dread of the end of mat leave was far worse than the actual experience of going back to work. Don’t get me wrong, it was very hard trying to figure out how to do this job and be a mom, plus dealing with daycare illnesses. But as far as anxiety and depression about going back to work went, it was the time leading up to the end of leave that was the worst, not going back. But it’s so hard and I think it’s very normal to feel that way.

Absolutely normal.

A lot of women deal with this by changing jobs or careers after having kids, or quitting work for a while.

You don’t have to quit, but you also don’t have to continue working this specific job, you know?

I went back to my job after 2 mat leaves, so I imagine there are very good reasons why you want/need to go back. If that’s what you do, focus on those reasons and try to frame your return as a positive choice.

18 weeks is great. It’s going to be difficult at first, but you will learn to manage and this will be your new normal. 81% of moms in America are working moms. No one is expecting you to have a sitter past 5:00, so I wouldn’t worry too much about after hours

I was so bad during my first pregnancy my firm forced me to start my mat leave early. Pre pandemic so remote was not really happening then. I only had 10 weeks of mat leave. I cried almost every day for a month. I found a job 10 minutes from my house. 7 years later, we are super close. Your child will always love and cherish you. Just be the consistent figure in their lives and they are just happy to be showered with love ❤️

What you’re feeling is normal. What’s the WLB like at your firm? After I had my daughter and went back to work I put pretty strict boundaries in place to avoid working nights/weekends after an emergency, and I almost never do. If I absolutely have to log in on a weekend day, I just try to limit it to nap time.

I did reduced time once I went back and it made a huge difference. I blocked off evening time with my baby, and everyone on my team knew that 5-8 was untouchable. You’ll be so much more protective of your time and boundaries. I wanted to quit and be a SAHM at the end of my leave and now that i’m 1.5 years out (my son is 21 months), i can’t imagine not having stayed in the work force. Note, I did go in-house after 8 months back (after my bonus).

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