How old was your child / children when you returned to work?  11 months 

How hard was it for you to find child care?  Extremely difficult, I was not offered a place until 2 weeks prior to my return to work, until then I  only had the option of occasional care – where I could only register my child on a weekly basis – and was therefore not guaranteed a spot week to week — very stressful. 

How did you cope with the combined challenge of your child going to child care and you returning to work?  Fortunately, I found a day-care centre that I was very happy with, once I new my child had settled to the routine there, I was very happy to leave him in their care.  I also believed that time spent in full day-care (2-3 days a week), was also very beneficial for my child’s development. 

Did you return to the same job?  No, I returned to a position a level lower to what I was doing prior to maternity leave, but in the same area.  The hours in the previous position could often be long – therefore I could not commit to unpredictable hours – when having to coordinate day care hours. 

Are you part time, full time, job share or contract? Part-time – 4 days a week 

What industry do you work in? What do you do? Department of Defence – Defence Publishing Service – Desktop Publishing and Design. 

Is your employer understanding of the work/family balancing act? If yes, can you give an example? Yes, I have been very fortunate, my boss is very understanding and flexible, in some instances I have been able to work from home, or if necessary bring my child to work with me for short periods, leave work at short-notice to pick up a sick child – and not be made to feel guilty about it. 

Now that you are a mum, have your expectations of work changed? Yes, work is now only a job to me, although it still needs to be something I enjoy and find challenging with good work colleagues. However, I am now able to leave work at work, and enjoy my life more outside of it. 

As a mum, what positive attributes do you think you have brought back into the workplace? I am a much more confident person, I am more focused, and am more appreciative of my opportunities.  

How do you benefit personally from returning to work? I feel more balanced personally, I am able to do something that is important to me as a person, as well as being able to fulfill most of my expectations for my children as a mother.

Do you have any time-saving tips and hints for other mums juggling work and family? Child-care that you are 100% happy and confident with. Research various child-care options, visit numerous centres, talk to other mums and dads, look into your child-care options, considering your child’s development from the age they are when they start – right through to school age. Make sure your partner is involved in all of this – it is very important that you both agree and support your child-care choices – this helps makes leaving your child easier for both of you. 

What are your top 3 tips for other mums returning to work?  Partner and/or family support; child-care in a reasonably close proximity to your work – if possible a centre that does provide food, drinks etc for your kids – this is one less thing for you to do; cook in bulk wherever possible – freeze your meals, so you are not so stressed when you get home that you then have to prepare dinner – it takes the edge of that time when you are all tired and irritable.