January 17, 2023 was undoubtedly one of the hardest days of my life. No, nothing bad happened–it was just a period of some of the biggest changes I’ve ever been through.
Some back story: I married my husband and moved in with him in a new town just after graduating from grad school in the spring of 2021. I had the hardest time finding a job in my profession. I worked all sorts of odd jobs all while interviewing left and right for jobs relevant to my degree. So, in the midst of this almost two-year job search, I got pregnant with my daughter. While I was at the hospital getting induced, my now-boss called me to tell me I got the job! I was being checked by the nurse while I got the call, and as I was hanging up my parents and husband’s parents walked in and I got to share the news with them. It was an answered prayer!
Flash forward to January, the month I would start my new job–I was an anxious wreck! I had postpartum anxiety and had gotten medicated so it was better for sure. But this wasn’t like I took a maternity leave and was returning to a job I knew–I was starting a new job entirely. And this was my first “big girl” job. I didn’t want to mess anything up. Coupled with all of these thoughts was an aching in my heart because I didn’t want to be apart from my girl. Who could take care of her as good as I would want?
If you’re a new mom wondering how you’ll cope sending your little love to daycare–know you aren’t alone. It won’t be easy, but you can do a few things to make it easier. Here’s what I did:
Do your research. Tour some daycares and spend some time there meeting teachers and making sure all the things—cleanliness, toys, staff, etc—are up to your standards. And absolutely get on the waitlist of your top 2-3.
Make the teacher's life easier. It just made me feel better to know that I was making the teachers job easier by having all the bottles made, extra outfits packed (zip up for ease), plenty of diapers/wipes—you name it, so that she could focus on providing my daughter with the best care. (Click Here for a full Daycare Packing Checklist)
Make sure everyone at work is aware of your situation. Obviously they know you have a baby since you just took maternity leave. But will you need pump breaks? Are you struggling with PPD/PPA? Do you have any new restrictions?
Make sure you have photos to look at throughout the day. You’ll miss your baby and want to see him or her! It also really helps pumping mamas with letdown to look at pictures and videos of their baby.
Have a soft start day. Before your first day back, consider practicing getting ready for work to see how much time you will need. And consider going to daycare and either hanging out to see how things are run—or go to the grocery store while baby stays there. It doesn’t have to be for long!
At the end of the day, you can do this mama. You are working hard to provide for your family and this new addition. You should be proud!
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