With an 11-day old baby in my arms, it’s hard to think about leaving him with a babysitter one day to go out and work. It’s hard to imagine anyone can love your baby as much as you do, dote on him, and replace the tender loving care of a mother. Luckily for me, I can work from home and keep an eye on the baby at the same time (though how much work I’m acutally getting done is disputable.) Not everyone is that lucky…
Natalie Lue at DollyMix talks about her mixed feelings on returning to work after maternity leave. “I’m going to say something that I know a lot of women are afraid to admit: I actually like being at home with my daughter and in an ideal world, I’d stay home. There, it’s been said. Now don’t get me wrong, I am ambitious, I’m intelligent… and it is important for my brain to be stimulated, but the thought of my daughter spending four days a week with another woman for her to depend on makes my stomach go into a knot... The thing about maternity leave is that it flies by so quickly that before you know it, it’s time to go back to work… Now with just over four weeks to go, I wonder should I abandon cooking and cleaning and savour my last bit of freedom before reality sets in?”
On the one hand, it will be nice to get back to the challenge of new work projects and the camraderie of her coworkers. On the other hand, there’s that feeling of missing out… not being around to watch her grow and develop, observing the big and small milestones, and being The One your child depends on to care for all her needs.
We know that it’s not feasible for all women to stay home and take care of their little one. But for all those women enjoying their maternity leave, that baby while you can, and savor the time you can spend wiht her now. These are precious days that you can’t get back again.