The modern woman strives to be successful both in the family sphere and at work. However, it is inherent in nature that a woman, first and foremost, is a mother. And at least the first year of the baby’s life would be very good to devote to the child: to see how he grows, masters the turns, begins to crawl and sit, and makes his first steps. This time is fleeting and often flies by so unnoticed. We bitterly regret if because of work we could not be with the baby at such important moments.
And yet life makes adjustments to our plans. It can happen to anyone that going back to work is just necessary.
When is the best time to go back to work?
According to psychologists, the youngest age for a baby to work is 3-4 months. Until now, the baby is going through a period of adaptation, getting used to life outside the womb. This period is also called the fourth trimester of pregnancy, it is very important to spend this time with your baby.
If you go to work with a very small child, try to arrange for yourself to work part-time. The baby needs time to get stronger and physically easier to tolerate your absence. When the baby is 4-5 months old, the mother should be at work for up to 4-5 hours. A baby of six months – 6-7 hours, closer to 9 months increase the time of your absence to 8-9 hours a day. Children over one year old can endure without their mother her full time and travel time.
So, the baby needs to gradually get used to being away for a while. Start with three hours and gradually increase the time of separation from your baby. This way it will be more or less painless for your baby.
Read Also: Kids Now? Kids Later? Kids Never? How to Make the Choice
Decide the question – who will the baby stay with?
It can be a grandmother, a babysitter, or even his father. If you will leave the baby with a nanny, you should introduce them in advance or hire expert nanny from We Need A Nanny. It is desirable that the nanny appeared in the house a month before going to work. Here are some of the nanny’s and mommy’s best tricks for making life easier and maintaining a stable psycho-emotional state for all participants in this process:
- At first, the nanny can just observe how and what you do, and how you communicate with the baby. Later, teach him or her the basics of caring for your baby. Tell him what your baby likes, how he’s doing, how he’s comfortable sitting in your arms, what his favorite toys and fun activities are, and about his daily routine. Also about how to thaw milk (if you have made it), how to heat it, how to feed your baby, how to calm him down, where his things are, and much more.
- Teach the person who will stay with the baby to feed him from a spoon or a cup. There is a danger that a bottle-fed baby will refuse to breastfeed. The mother must continue to breastfeed the baby in the evening, at night, in the morning, and on all days off;
- explain to the babysitter that he should soothe the baby without using pacifiers. The baby may well be cheered up through the translation of attention. For example, sing a song familiar to the child, read a funny rhyme, cheer up with a game, rock him or show him a bright toy. That is, it is important that the child in a bad mood does not stay with himself or herself, but feels the support of the person next to him or her;
- Also, the baby and nurse should master falling asleep without the breast. The first time a baby can fall asleep in the stroller in the fresh air if can to do so. Later you can master falling asleep in the house; the child needs help falling asleep, you can read a poem or sing a lullaby.
- If you know even from the moment of pregnancy that you have to go back to work, you can start decanting and storing milk already after one month of nursing. Women are known to produce mature milk after this point. You can, for example, squeeze daily when you think you have the most milk coming in. Or collect a little bit throughout the day in one container, and after collecting a certain volume – freeze it. Try squeezing both by hand and with a breast pump. Choose that variant of pumping, which will be the most convenient and effective for you. If your baby is on artificial feeding, everything is much easier. It is just worthwhile to refill your baby in time and explain the rules of formula preparation to the nanny.
- At first, the nanny can observe how and what you do and how you communicate with the baby. Later, teach him or her the basics of caring for your baby. Tell him what your baby likes, how he’s doing, how he’s comfortable sitting in your arms, what his favorite toys and fun activities are, and about his daily routine. Also about how to thaw milk (if you have made it), how to heat it, how to feed your baby if you are using organic baby formula or Holle Goat Dutch formula , how to calm him down, where his things are, and much more.
Consequently, the birth of a child often changes our outlook on life and puts aside everything that does not concern the baby. But maternity leave ends sooner or later, and most mothers go back to work.
Taking care of a child – it’s not an easy period in every woman’s life, and if you combine it with work, everything becomes even more difficult. Be kind to yourself, don’t demand the impossible from yourself, and give yourself time to adjust to your new lifestyle.