Straight back to work?

Question

Looking for advise from new mums. I’m not due until November but planning on sitting down with my boss on Wednesday to discuss a few things. I’m in the UK and due to money commitments and me being the breadwinner I’m only planning on taking 2-4 weeks maternity all being well with the baby. I have the option to work from home but I do have a customer service role so on the phone a lot. My mum has said she will help but has anyone had a short maternity and gone back full time? Is it doable? I know it’s hard to say as you never know what the babies going to be like but just looking for some insights on whether it’s the right thing to do.

Answer

I personally would not be ready at 2-4 weeks.
With my first two labors I needed stitches, I could barely sit comfortably for the few week or two.
Couldn’t find clothes that fit.
Was getting broken sleep, felt overwhelmed and exhausted. 
Even with a good baby, you’ll still only get a few hours of sleep off and on the first few weeks.
I would give yourself as much time as you need after birth.

Answer

It’s hard as fuck but definitely doable. I haven’t personally dealt with this but I have seen friends go back to work after less than 6 weeks. 
Since you’ll be working from home, I expect it’ll be a little easier. Having support will be key, for sure. A friend or family member who can be around to help take care of the baby while you’re getting your work done will be very beneficial, but it’ll also be nice to be close to baby as well. (Especially if you’re breastfeeding.)
Again, just be sure to have support in place to help you when you need it, and I expect it’ll be fine. 🥰

Answer

If you are strictly only at home, you might be able to make it work. I bled for 2 weeks post partum and have heard of others who bled longer. I personally wouldn’t have wanted to go back to work at the office that soon, but being at home might work.

Answer

Honestly, I think your doctor will have the biggest issue with this. With my first 16 years ago I had no choice but to go back within a month although I wanted to go sooner due to money issues but doctor wouldn’t allow. It was horrible because I felt like my baby was bonded to everyone except me cause I was working all the time. The newborns really do need that time with mom.

Answer

As you in the uk could you not get help like universal credits to help if you wanted to take your maternity a little longer

Answer

There is no way I could have started working at 2-4 weeks postpartum. 
From a physically standpoint I would have been okay at 6 weeks but no way mentally I could have gone back at 6 weeks. I had enough trouble going back at 12. 
This time around I get 14 weeks at full pay.

Answer

I worked from home when I had my oldest in January of 2018 I had him on a Wednesday went home that following Saturday and was working again the next Monday. It’s definitely doable just all depends on what you and your body can handle and adjust to after baby comes. This time around I have a house cleaning business and am due for induction in 6 days and am planning on 8-10 weeks minimum of maternity leave

Answer

I went back to work at six weeks. Worked from home too.and we were in Belgium at the time do we didn't have help really. Only when people visited.
 Doable, and it was kind good when I had my alone time to work. If you have adequate childcare arrangements then it'll be better than what I went through too! (Coz my husband and I worked and cared for baby in shifts)
But I kinda wish I had taken a longer leave. I feel like I made it unnecessarily hard so I'll be taking at least 4mo for the second. 
Also just to give you a fuller picture, I nearly cried when my MIL had to leave after 4 weeks and was still in pain from episiotomy stitches at 2 weeks. 
Of course, this is just my experience.  Good luck with your decision mama!

Answer

From my experience, I absolutely would not have wanted to be back at work 2 weeks later - the pain was more or less gone within a week, but probably until 3ish weeks I was still sore and itchy (which I didn’t expect, but it’s part of the healing) which was super annoying and uncomfortable. The main reason I don’t think it’s practical to go back that soon is the exhaustion. 4 weeks maybe could be doable working from home, but 2 weeks would have been absolutely miserable. Around 4 weeks is when I started to actually have energy again and was able to start getting back to normal things like cleaning, cooking, and seeing people. Before that I was so tired all the time, as in I could and would fall asleep whenever I wasn’t doing anything lol. 
If you have to go back that soon, I’d go for 4 weeks and work from home so you can nap on your lunch break and feed the baby/pump from the comfort of your house. 2 weeks really would be miserable.

Answer

People under estimate how hard it is working from home with a baby. I just tried to do this same thing when my baby was 3.5 months and it was terrible. I wasn’t giving her the attention she needed and I also wasn’t able to do my job the way I needed. I personally could never go back to work that fast. The fourth trimester is important and working with a baby that small to care for would be too difficult for me. I did it for a month with my daughter and last week she started daycare.

Straight back to work?

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