Why Returning to the Workplace is Challenging for Mums

Written with Amandine Painton, Accredited Life Coach

Returning to the workplace after maternity leave, commonly known as "returnity," is a multifaceted journey laden with challenges, particularly for mums. This pivotal phase demands a delicate balance between professional aspirations and familial responsibilities, often leading to a myriad of difficulties that need careful consideration and understanding.

Work-Life Integration

One of the primary reasons returnity is challenging lies in the struggle to integrate work and life seamlessly. Juggling professional commitments with the demands of parenting requires a delicate balance, often will leave you torn between the two.

Emotional Tug-of-War

The emotional toll of returning to work after maternity leave cannot be overstated. You may experience a profound sense of guilt, anxiety, and even grief at leaving your child in someone else's care. The emotional adjustment is a significant hurdle that requires time, support, and understanding.

Childcare Challenges

Securing reliable and suitable childcare solutions is a persistent challenge for mums returning to work. The quest for trustworthy care arrangements often involves extensive research, financial considerations, and, at times, the emotional strain of entrusting someone else with the wellbeing of your child.

Breastfeeding hurdle

Returning to work also presents various challenges if you are breastfeeding. Balancing professional responsibilities with the commitment to breastfeeding can be demanding. The limited availability of private spaces for expressing milk and the pressure to conform to workplace schedules can hinder a smooth breastfeeding routine.

Additionally, the emotional strain of separation from the baby during working hours can affect the milk supply and the overall breastfeeding experience.

Find some tips in this article about breastfeeding while at work.

Career Identity Shift

The transition back to the workplace can prompt a reassessment of your professional identity. Questions about career goals, advancement, and the alignment of personal values with work responsibilities, lead to a potential shift in career perspectives.

Logistical Complexities

The logistics of daily life add an extra layer of complexity. Commuting, coordinating schedules, managing unexpected family issues, and addressing the practical aspects of daily routines all contribute to the difficulty of balancing work and life.

Societal Expectations

Societal expectations and stereotypes about mothers' roles in the workforce can exacerbate the challenges of returnity. You may face judgment, bias, or unrealistic expectations regarding your ability to effectively balance professional and parenting roles.

How returning to the workplace can affect the health and wellbeing of mums

You have understood, that balancing the demands of a career, and professional responsibilities with the day-to-day challenges and your baby's needs can result in sleep deprivation, increased stress, and a lack of time for self-care. The pressure to perform at work while managing familial responsibilities can lead to emotional and physical exhaustion, impacting overall wellbeing.

A few pieces of advice from our expert, Amandine, life coach

Self-awareness is key to avoiding burnout. We have a lot of inner wisdom that we tend to ignore while being too busy being busy. Journaling and meditation are good tools to improve your self-awareness of how you feel emotionally and physically.

 Self-care is a core strategy to practice daily, based on what you became aware of. It’s great to decide in advance what are 3 non-negotiable self-care practices that will nourish your mind (ie: listening to a podcast), body (ie: getting enough sleep) and spirit (ie: express gratitude). Think about short/easy ways to improve your morning and evening routines.

Simplify your life, so your environment works for you, not the other way around. Review your expectations as you won’t be able to do everything by yourself as you used to. Seeking support and using shortcuts to make your life easier, especially while adjusting to a new routine.

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