Anxious and sad - has anyone got any tips ??

[greengables]

Hey girls

I've enjoyed my 7mths off having this baby #2. I enjoy being a SAHM of 2 babies. Yes it's all-consuming and exhausting, but I love it....however we can't afford our mortgage and to live off 1 income so I have 2 go back to work. I START NEXT WEEK!!

I'm jsut so thankful that:
a. I have a job I like in an area of interest to me
b. my mum and mil are looking after my babies
c. i've negotiated to work form home 2 days and in the office 2 days (4 days in total)...so will only technically be away from my babies 2 days per week

I'm anxious - I'm sad. I'm going to miss my babies - esp. as I want to continue breastfeeding but wonder how this will go as I am separated from my 5 1/2mth old baby for a day at a time?? I know lots of mum do it but it just seems so hard!!

i'm frightened i will get so tired and bored at work! I know I should be positive but there u go!!

Has anyone got any tips for me???

[JimJamsMum]

It's hard isn't it. Here are some things that I found helpful when I returned to work:

1. Express often. To keep up my milk supply I would express twice at work and also express one side while DS was having the other both morning and night. I ended up with a good stash in the freezer.

2. Don't try to do everything. It's best just to accept that the house will not always be clean and tidy and that non-essential things may have to be put off.

3. Get organised. I put a stop to going to the in-laws on Sunday nights because I need that time to get lunches and bags packed for Monday.

4. Ring your kids during the day to make sure they're okay. It will help put your mind at ease and soon you'll discover that you won't need to call anymore

5. Accept there will be an adjustment period for all concerned. Your mum, MIL, kids and yourself will all need to get used to the new routine. It took my mum and mil about 5 weeks before they got into the swing of minding a baby

6. Make sure you have an uninterrupted lunch break if you can. You probably don't know what that is like anymore. It's probably the best thing about going back to work.

7. Ignore everyone who says "it must be nice to have some time away from the baby". For some reason people don't realise that mums actually like spending time with their kids.

Good luck. It feels really horrible at first but it does get easier.

[greengables]

thanks jimjams i really appreciate those tips - i was actually planning to express every 2.5 hrs (so that would equal about 3 times per day at work?)