Work life always seems like a distant memory after childbirth, but a few months down the line you will have to go back. Leaving your newborn behind when you are just getting used to him can never be easy, and it will make you sad. But you need to work, and so the best thing that you can do is to ensure that your precious little one is as comfortable as possible when you are at work and that the transition is easy for both of you.

Although every mother will have her individual way of dealing with the situation, here are four tips for returning to work after childbirth that will work for most people.

#1 Plan Ahead

Planning ahead for the time you will have to go back to work is vital and it will help you avoid doing anything in a rush. Before you give birth, you should start making arrangements for someone or daycare to take care of your newborn. Either of the two options can work well, but it is important to choose what is most convenient, comfortable for the baby and affordable. 

#2 Buy All the Essentials

As you are shopping for your child, it is important to remember to buy the things that you will need once you go back to work. You should make sure that you buy a good breast pump because it will be necessary to express some milk so that he can take it during the day when you are working. Also, you will need best breast milk storage bags for storing the milk and some extra nursing pads that you should keep in your office desk. A good size bag to carry the pump and the storage bags to work is also a must-have.

#3 Do Some Dry Runs and Ease In

One of the things that make the transition back to work from maternity leave hard is the fact that most moms do not do dry runs. Waking up one day and taking the baby to the daycare and expecting him to stay there the entire day does not work well for both of you. Instead, you should prepare the child for the transition well in advance.

It is important to do some dry runs a few weeks or days before you have to go back to work. They should include waking up early, preparing your newborn and visiting the daycare to familiarize with the environment and staff. Also, it is a good idea to ease in by going back to work a couple of days in advance and working for half day or shorter shifts than usual so that your infant does not have to spend a lot of time at the daycare.

#4 Make a Habit of Getting Ready the Night Before

Once you get back to work, you will not always have enough time, and so it is important to plan the little time that you have well. One effective way of doing this entails getting everything that you will need such as your outfit ready the night before. You should also pack everything that the baby will need to have at the daycare the following day. Doing all this will leave you with enough time in the morning to nurse the baby and also for some valuable bonding session.

Conclusion

Your transition back to work after childbirth can never be easy but with the four tips above you can make it better for both you and the baby. Also, ensuring that you spend any free time that you have with your child and having his framed on work your desk will be very helpful.