Maternity leave ending

I have been doing keep in touch days since August and go back full time the week after next. It is hard but I will say I have enjoyed having that day to myself! Obviously I miss my baby but it makes it even more special coming home to her 🥰 she is starting nursery next week and she cries every time I drop her off which is hard so that is giving me anxiety at the moment! I know it will be good for her though and it will be nice for her to have lots of new activities to do etc! They adapt quickly 🙂 I am looking forward to a new routine as well

I was exactly the same as you - I went back to work 2 weeks ago and in the run up would cry every day at the thought of leaving my daughter & spending my days without her. There's no way around it, it is really hard, especially if it takes them a while to settle at nursery (as it did for her). But even in a short amount of time she has adapted so well & now I get pictures of her laughing and playing with her little friends 🥹 she's always been a tricky napper and doesn't take bottles so I worried about those things too but it's almost like she's found her own way of doing things at nursery and she sleeps & feeds really well there. The time I get with her feels even more precious now, and when I get sad about missing out on time with her I just tell myself I am really lucky to have her in a place where she is safe & well looked after, which ultimately is all anyone could want for their little one. All this to say, you and your little boy will be alright, I promise the worry is always worse than the reality 💛

I have just gone back to work and I was dreading it, totally dreading it. He’s exclusively breast feed, has done all naps as contact naps till now, and has a ton of allergies. He’s settled well, he doesn’t cry at drop off he’s happy to see his key worker and although he’s still not really eating so much he’s sleeping well and he just breastfeeds a bit more when he’s home. Something that has helped us is that I go in to work early and my husband works a bit later. It means he has time at home with our son before he goes to work, after I’ve gone, and I pick him up and then have quality time before bed. I miss him loads, the smiles on pickup are amazing!! I love that he has his own little world, we get little insights of what he’s been up to at nursery and he’s so obviously happy. He gets plenty of cuddles in the day, and it’s made me realise that the strong bonds he has with us have enabled him to create new attachments to others as well. Good luck!!!

Thank you so much guys!! So glad I’m not alone in feeling this way. And I’m so glad your little ones have settled so well ❤️❤️

So so normal, I felt exactly the same. The one thing I’d say is the build up is 100% times worse than the actual event and once you’re back you’ll get into the swing of it and it’s just the next chapter ❤️ you’ll find happiness in that hot cup of tea at work that you can enjoy peacefully!

I am exactly the same and was with my first as well. I was a wreck the first few weeks. I know baby will be fine (my first was) and I wish I didn’t have to go back. I would just say take it day by day, try some meditation or mindfulness apps. I found these useful when I was getting anxious even driving to work. My friend used to ring me on my way to work and just talk rubbish to keep me distracted.