8 Tips for Balancing Work-Life After Having a Baby  

Coming back to work after maternity leave is a big adjustment! You miss your baby (of course). You might feel guilty over secretly enjoying the opportunity to focus on something else for a while. (Who knew that was coming?) You’re getting into the routine of childcare, whether you’re dropping your little one off at daycare in the mornings, your partner is staying home with him/her, or you’re rotating care with family members.

Things in the office have changed in the time that you’ve been on leave. After the first few days back, you start to readjust. You’ve (hopefully) stopped crying on your way to work. What now? These seven tips will help you make the adjustment to full-time working mama with grace and poise.

If you’re breast feeding, set yourself up for success. Schedule time on your calendar every day to pump milk. Depending on your baby’s typical feeding schedule, most moms pump milk two to three times during a typical eight-hour work day. Make sure your co-workers respect these times just as they would respect client appointments. Many moms find that if they don’t schedule time on their calendar, this time gets filled up with work commitments, and milk supply may suffer, so go ahead and set up repeating calendar appointments for the same times each day. It can be helpful to stash extra pump parts at the office in case you forget something. At the very least, consider taping a checklist to your pump bag to ensure you don’t accidentally forget the cord or breast shield and have to endure an uncomfortable day without being able to pump.

Pumping can be tough at the office. Try playing some relaxing music and starting off each session by swiping through a few of your favorite baby pictures. This will relax you and improve your milk output. Then you can dive into work for the rest of your pumping session.

Plan for sick days. If your baby is in daycare, prepare yourself for the inevitable fevers, runny noses, and the occasional stomach virus. First off, do everything you can to mitigate the daycare germs. Wash your baby’s hands and face and your own hands when you get home in the evening. If you’re breastfeeding, make sure you’re eating healthy to pass on the healthiest milk to your baby. Take vitamin C and echinacea in the winter to ward off colds. When baby does get sick, don’t panic. Find out your office’s remote work policy and get in touch with your boss. Plan for a few days of sick time—many daycares require that baby be fever-free for a full 24 hours before returning. Have a plan to trade days at home with your partner and family members or friends. If you’re solo, do focused work during nap time and see if you can get any babysitters to help in the afternoon (if they are high school students). Another alternative is an emergency nanny call service, which can usually provide same-day sitters if your little one is sick.

Do a Sunday sit-down with your partner to plan out the week. There are a lot more moving parts to your schedules now. If you suddenly have to work late, someone else has to pick up your child; if a client asks to meet your partner for a drink or for a dinner meeting, it requires a little more planning. Sit down on Sundays with your partner and review the week. Do either of you have nighttime work or leisure commitments, such as gym classes you’re planning to attend or happy hour with friends? Do you have an early morning meeting and need someone else to drop off the baby? Are his parents planning to come over one night for dinner? If possible, also work out who is cooking on which nights or picking up dinner. If either of you need to travel for work, be sure to plan out all the details in advance.

Sleep train. You never realize just how much sleep affects you until you don’t have it! If baby isn’t sleeping through the night, it may be time to try some sleep training techniques. Typically, babies go through a sleep regression at four months, so be prepared! Try a book like Babywise or sites like the Baby Sleep Site. While sleep training can be tough in the short term, the long-term benefits are totally worth it.

Lower your expectations. The first months back to work can be tough. Even if you’re sleep training, baby may not be sleeping through the night yet, so you are probably tired. Your hormones are still elevated, so you may be more emotional than usual. You’re still jumping back into your workload, so be patient with yourself. It will probably take a few months to find a rhythm with your new work-family-life balance. In the meantime, don’t be too hard on yourself! Accept that this is a tough time, do the best you can, and stay focused on what matters: being as productive as possible during the work day so you can enjoy family time in the evening.

Schedule catch-up time with clients and colleagues. During your first week back in the office, schedule specific times to catch up with colleagues who have been covering your work. Be prepared: come to each meeting with a list of the projects they worked on and questions you have about the status of each. Then, schedule time to connect with clients and let them know you’re back and will be covering their accounts once again.

Be ruthlessly efficient with your workload. You’re more eager than ever to get out of the office on time these days, so you can spend a few precious hours with your little one before you put him or her to bed. Schedule an “end” time to your work day, and do everything you can to abide by it. Schedule a half-hour before that end time to wrap up your work, organize your to-do list for the morning, send out emails, and schedule calls. Wherever possible, cut back on meetings, or at the very least stick to a detailed agenda to stay on track. Keep your work organized, and whatever you do, don’t waste time on social media! When you need a break, set a timer for five minutes and take a lap around the office, do a few flights of stairs, or grab a glass of water from the break room.