Going Back to Work

Ten weeks of maternity leave seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. Granted, I was already two weeks in by the time little H was finally born, but still. I had such grand plans for how I would spend my mat leave: I’ll go to the gym and workout every day! I’ll just bring him along in his carrier and workout while he naps. It will be so easy!! I’ll clean and re-organize the entire house! I’ll take up macrame crafts! I’ll take the shopping bus and have coffee at a cafe twice a week! 

Ha ha ha ha! It was surprising to my naive self to learn how many hours of each day were actually taken up by, you know, like taking care of the actual baby! When you figure that each feeding, start to finish takes up about an hour, and that he eats about every two to three hours, well then there goes a good half of your day. Then take into account the diapers, the dressing, the singing and playing, the tummy time and cuddle time, and yeah, that’s a whole day. So while I didn’t get to accomplish all of the perhaps unrealistic projects I had planned, I was extremely grateful for the time I got to spend bonding with little man. So it was a bit of a shock to realize that my gift of time had come to an end and it was time to return to work.

As it would happen, I was due to return to work just 3 days before winter holiday. This actually turned out to be a nice little practice run before the real return to work in January. Harris and I took a tour of the nursery the week before and met all of his caregivers. We also met all the other babies or nursery mates that would be keeping H company during the day. He was given his own personal crib for napping and cubby for storing his personal effects.

The night before, we assembled the items that Harris would need for nursery, including a blanket and bottles, diapers and wipes, a change of clothes and a little rattle and picked out his first school outfit. Justin insisted on brushing his “hair” so that he would make a strong first impression. Though H is still sporting a very distinctive hairline - dark and lush around the nape, and barely visible on the top. I wore maternity clothes that sadly still fit and we set off for our first day back.

Even though the nursery ladies are sweet and kind and loving, and even though the other moms rave about how pleased they are with the level of care their children receive, and even though the nursery is filled with soft music and happy, smiling babies, it was still very hard to pass him off. We parked our stroller in the designated storage area and walked him in. Immediately we were greeted by the smiling team of caregivers, and several babies who were already placed in their highchairs and happily awaiting breakfast. Justin and I placed his items in the cubby and covered H in kisses before tearfully handing him over. Another mom saw me and gave me a big hug and told me she always cries when she sees moms handing over their babies because she knows how hard and sad it is. 

But we knew H was in good hands and would be fine. Outside we were given many encouraging smiles and hugs and pats of reassurance. It felt good to be surrounded by such a supportive group of moms and dads.

Because school was nearly out for the semester, classes for high school were already over and we were on an exam schedule. Therefore, I didn’t actually have to teach on these days back to work and instead just used the time to chip away and the mountain of grading that was awaiting me. Several students were still around on campus and a few of them came to give me hugs of congratulations and welcome me back.

During the first day back Justin and I ran over to the nursery five times between the two of us to check on Little Sir. Each time we found him to be either sleeping soundly, or being fed or cradled and rocked. This put us both at ease and allowed us to relax a little and focus on our school work. At the end of the day when we picked him up, he seemed happy and relaxed and he slept wonderfully that night. I on the other hand was absolutely exhausted, and for not having even been a real “teaching day” this was hard. But at the same time it did feel good to be back in my classroom, focusing on my craft and a part of the English team again.

All all in, I would say that both H and I had a great first few days and that we will be able to get into the routine soon. I’m definitely looking forward to being back at work full time because I love what I do and I enjoy the cognitive challenges of teaching and planning and working with students. Knowing that I have a wonderful nursery on campus only allows me to feel more relaxed about my transition back to work. Adjusting to the new hours and diminished sleep of course will be challenging, and I’m still not fitting back into my pre-pregnancy work clothes just yet, but I can only take it one day at a time. I think being a mom is only going to make me a better teacher and give me a new perspective on how I approach not only my teaching and work life, but my life altogether. So bring it on!