Woohoo, I have successfully completed my first day back at work after being "off" for a year. The reason I stated "off" was because I was working, just for a different boss! Last night I was a complete wreck, I didn't know what I needed for work, like what should I wear? I need a purse? Where's my ID card? These were all non-issues when I was working, but preparing totally got be frazzled. I even had a difficult time falling asleep because I was so tightly wound! James is still sick with the ear infection and cold so he's not sleeping through the night, this means less sleep for me. It also means less sleep for Da-da since we started taking turns putting James back to sleep since we both have to work in the morning. However since Adit is such a sound sleeper I end up waking him up to tend to James. Luckily I'm a great sleeper so I'm able to fall asleep again almost instantly!
This morning was also hectic, James woke up around 4am and didn't sleep again until 6:30am. We didn't want to disturb him so we let him sleep on our bed until 8:00 when we rushed him to daycare. Once at daycare, James was crying when Adit and I dropped him off. He was still in his PJ's and was about to have breakfast when we left. After my 5 minute walk I was at work. Since I was in early just one other person was there from my team and since I've been away for so long I had no idea what my passwords were. Hence I was locked out of my computer. My Regional Manager also in early so he called me in to chat and discuss what I've missed. After about 30 minutes we were joined by my manager then talked again for another hour. This was great as I got a firsthand recap of what went on over the past year. I almost felt as though I never left. What's funny was that I wasn't sad to be back or felt guilty for not being with James. It actually felt right, like everyone was exactly where they were supposed to be - Adit & I at work and James at daycare.
The reason why I had such a great day was because James was already transitioned into daycare. He started almost a month ago therefore he's completely adjusted now. He does cry when we drop him off, but as I've seen over the webcam it only lasts a minute or less. Also when I've picked him up the last couple of times he didn't cry at all when he saw me. Today he came running over with a big smile on his face. :) If you are headed back to work soon, I strongly suggest that you transition your child for about a month before you start. I admire the courage it took my fellow mommy friends who had to deal with the stress of work and stress of transitioning baby. However as they will probably tell you it's not the ideal situation as you want to be there for them during this time too.
Have you returned to work after maternity leave? What did you do for childcare? Does transitioning make a difference? Please also share what your first day back was like with us on the blog!
Happy reading!
Rachel
i completely agree with you Rachel....if i could do it again i would definitely have transitioned her earlier. my issue was i wasn't going back to work...i was looking for something else and got a great offer earlier than expected...so it was a rush to push her daycare to accept her...thankfully my mum was able to come for a month and help us with the transition which was huge! but if i were going back to my old work place, having done the 'rush' transition, i would have preferred to definitely slow things down!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to the working world! Glad to hear you had a good day back :)
So happy to hear that day one went so well for the entire family! I agree, transitioning is key, for both child and mother. I also transitioned Sameera for a month with my nanny, and that was the best decision I made. Granted I still had a hard time initially, but it only took a couple of days to feel like I never left. Now, just like you, I feel we are all in our right spots (hubby, Samu and I). Really happy that your first day went so well, as being "off" for a year can be tough. Welcome back to the working world! :) It's a good place to be.
ReplyDeleteYay - Glad you had a great first day! If you figure out the trick to leaving the office on time, please do share!
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