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Friday, June 6, 2014

What Works For You ~ Return to Work Planning

If you are a working mom-to-be and plan to return to work after your little one arrives, do you have a plan in place? Here are some things to keep in mind when creating a Return to Work Plan.


1.       First if you haven’t already, meet with your HR representative about what your company offers in the way of Maternity Leave. I recommend you do this as soon as you let your company know you are expecting for financial planning purposes and so you know how much vacation you will need to save. Also check into state assistance: California offers compensation while on maternity leave for both Mom and Dad!

2.       Once you know what is offered, figure out what is going to work for you and your family. Can you afford to take 3 months or 6 weeks? How much PTO do/will you have?

3.       The most important thing is to be flexible. Although you get a due date very few babies are actually born on their due date. Unless of course you are having a planned C-section or induction, you really have no control over this date. Plus you never know how things will go after so stay flexible on your dates.

4.       Be sure to also share this need for flexibility with your office. Some workplaces are very accommodating to expecting moms while others can be a bit more pushy asking: When? How long? Are you coming back? Try to keep responses general and when in doubt visit with your HR representative.

5.       Going back to work is not always easy. I highly recommend a transition plan to ease back into work part time before coming back full time. Not only are you recovering from delivery, your hormones are balancing back out and well you are sleep deprived. Give yourself some time to ease back into a work schedule and factor this in to your financial plan.

6.       Childcare is the next big thing to consider. Do you have family support? Have you talked to them about helping while you return to work? What is your partners schedule like? How much cross over will there be? If you don’t have family/friend support you will need to check into daycare and/or Nanny services, again factoring this into your budget. Some families find that childcare costs are so high that it can often be a significant portion of their salary and decide to just go back part time or stay at home all together. I highly recommend that you do a very thorough search for childcare by reading reviews, asking for letters of recommendations, visiting the site etc.

7.       If you plan to breastfeed and want to continue when you return to work, figure out how you can pump at work. Do you have an office with a door you can lock? Is there a private place other than the bathroom you can pump? If you don’t have a space, again speak with HR as this is something your workplace needs to provide. Is there a place you can store your milk? If you company has a fridge be sure you have a cooler you can store your milk in with a cool pack. Company refrigerators get opened all day so you want to make sure you milk stays cool.

8.       Finally, if this is your first, second or fifth child remember to be kind to yourself. Just because you have been able to return to work in the past or know someone who has, doesn't mean that’s what is right for you. I know I have said this already but stay flexible and make decisions that you feel good about. As a woman you will feel pressure and judgment no matter what you do. Ignore it all and do what right for you and your family.

Wishing you all the best in your journey!