I’m back

My return from Maternity Leave was January 4.

My first week, I probably should have worn a sign on my forehead saying:

“I am fine, my baby is fine, she is with her Grandmother. Yes it is very hard to be away from my children. I had a blast at home, I did a lot of walking this past year. Yes I do have a lot more freedom at work, I can go to the washroom by myself. Yes a lot has changed, I will get the hang of it.”

When you return back to work many people ask you the same thing over and over again. Without getting into too much detail I find myself repeating the above.

This past year was a whirlwind, it went quickly. Once I ironed out the kinks with breastfeeding and recovering from a c-section, I pretty much spent my maternity leave enjoying my children. I learned a lot and have a huge admiration for stay-at-home moms.

I am very lucky to have a job where they support parents and are able to work with my schedule for returning back to work, so that I could slowly transition Tinky (pet name for my second child).

It was tough leaving Tinky for the first time. She cried and refused to eat and drink while I was away. It made me feel so sad for her, that is when I knew I needed to formulate a plan that would relieve stress on all levels. I will be posting some tips and strategies that my husband and I did that helped transition Tinky over the month before I went back to work fulltime. Stay tuned J

Shari Nelson is an advertising sales rep at City Parent and a contributor to the magazine’s social media, including Facebook and Twitter. She has a background in Early Child Care Education, She has two daughters a 6-year-old, a 1-year and 10-year-old dog. She aspires to not have too much “Stuff”.  She challenges herself and her amazing, talented carpenter husband to be fit and healthy.