How old was your child / children when you returned to work?  7 months

How hard was it for you to find child care?  Very hard, even though I was on every waitlist in my area (inner Sydney) by the time I was 14 weeks pregnant, I had only one option come up at the time I wanted to return to work 

How did you cope with the combined challenge of your child going to child care and you returning to work?  In some ways it was great to feel some independence again; in other ways it was very hard (e.g. a) the first childcare centre was not acceptable so I had to find another one at short notice (!) and then change my work days; b) finding a good place / time to express breast milk at work was quite problematic). I have never been a ‘9 to 5’ kind of person and having to leave at what seemed like a very early time to pick up my child was (and still is) a very hard thing for me. 

Did you return to the same job?  Yes 

Are you part time, full time, job share or contract? Full time 

What industry do you work in? What do you do? Financial Services / Manager 

Is your employer understanding of the work/family balancing act? If yes, can you give an example? Yes. I have full access to works’ systems etc from home; I worked from home a day a week for a long time with the full support of my manager; My manager initially wanted me to return to work 4 days a week but backed off and let me do 3 days a week when I said I didn’t want to. 

Now that you are a mum, have your expectations of work changed? Yes 

As a mum, what positive attributes do you think you have brought back into the workplace? More focus is to get stuff done in core hours; I’m much more productive in how I use my time in the office. I used to work long hours to get everything done and I had developed a wide range of skills as I liked to be pretty self-sufficient and not rely too much on others. I can’t do it all now; I have no interest in working late at home if I don’t really have to as then I have no energy for being a mum. As a result, I’ve become a) much better at delegating, b) developing the skills of my staff and c) developing better ways to work with other people in the organisation where I do ask for more of their support – the plus side is they ‘buy in‘ to more of your projects! 

How do you benefit personally from returning to work? Maintenance of self-identity; A rest from home and child (working is easier – for me at least); Money and the feeling of independence that gives; Mental stimulation; Continue to leverage previous investments into career (work, study etc)

Do you have any time-saving tips and hints for other mums juggling work and family? If you want to / have to work long hours, get a nanny if you can afford it / share one with another family; Make sure you have a back-up plan so you can still work when your child is too sick to go to childcare / your nanny is sick; Befriend other parents at the child care centre and share pickups so you can take turns working later if that helps you both; If you go back to work full-time, don’t torture yourself trying to ‘do it all’ – outsource as much of your housekeeping etc. that you can, so that when you are with your child you can enjoy your time together; If you go back to work part-time, don’t work full-time behind the scenes, run yourself ragged and expect your colleagues to notice and appreciate your efforts.  

What are your top 3 tips for other mums returning to work?  As your expectations and values may change after having your baby, try to make flexible plans prior to going on maternity leave rather than locking yourself into an arrangement that may not end up suiting you.  Make sure you have a back-up plan so you can still work when your child is too sick to go to childcare / your nanny is sick. As tempting as it may be to forget about work while you are away, don’t do it, especially if you are taking a long (>6 months) period of maternity leave. Keep in touch with your boss, colleagues and your friends at work on a semi-regular basis and discuss work things most of the time when you do talk (i.e. not too much talk about the baby, especially as your return draws closer). This keeps your options open and when opportunities come up, you will be someone that they consider for these, not someone they’ve forgotten about – even better, you might be in a position to lobby for something you actually want!