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Returning to Work After The Birth of a Child

Every day babies are born bringing wonder into the lives of young couples. Along with the joy that a new child brings, many women are faced with the difficult choice of whether to return to work or to stay home with their young one. Often mothers who plan to return to work make the decision to drop out as they fall in love with their new babies.

Staying home to raise a child is a personal choice for a woman in today’s career driven society. No one can replace the love, affection and support of a mother. However, in later years, either driven by inner desires or by financial need, many women decide to return to work and need to restart their career.

Returning to work poses many emotional conflicts for new mothers. You might have feelings of guilt over leaving your baby in childcare, but you might also feel relieved to be back at work. You're juggling more in your life — not only the usual work hours, dinner preparation, household chores, time for yourself and time with your partner, but now the time-consuming tasks and pleasures of your new baby.

I often hear from women at this tricky time in their lives. Although they feel ready to return to work, they feel somewhat out of touch with ‘the world of work’. They are not sure if they want to return to prior careers, and often unsure if they are still employable in their old line of work. Other women wish to return to work but not to the ‘fast track’. These women may begin to contemplate a career change – a new line of work that would better suit their lifestyle as working moms.

I've helped hundreds of women to create more fulfilling and family-friendly career paths. Working together we will create a plan to slowly and carefully move you out of the home and back into the work force.

Before you return to work:

• First things first….find dependable child care. The thought of leaving your child in someone else's care can be troubling. Finding a reliable childcare provider whom you trust can ease your mind considerably. Your childcare options range from individual in-home care to a childcare center. Give yourself time to research your options.

Returning to work:

• Thinking of returning to a similar line of work and wondering if your skills are transferable? Let’s evaluate your last position and the skill set you process. Often we see ourselves pigeon holed into a certain careers because we are unaware that we actually have skills that are transferable.

• Is it time for a career change? It’s time to discover your true passion! What is it that you absolutely love to do? What are your true strengths and interests? What are your values? What is your fantasy career? How much money do you aspire to make? Together we will answer these questions and more.

• Ever thought about starting your own business? Of all the questions I am asked by Moms, the most popular one is, "How do I find work that I can do from home?" Women are starting their own businesses in record numbers. Looking for a business that will take advantage of your hard-earned professional skills, but still allow you the flexibility you need to balance work and family? Let’s find one!

• Pick a hot occupation – If you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, you may be surprised to find new industries emerging. Internet companies snapped up many Moms reentering the workforce in the mid 90s. Let’s be creative and find out what’s hot today and how you can work for them.

• My Rolodex: Often true change takes a team approach, and because of this I've aligned myself with a wonderful network of professionals to help you accomplish your goals and raise the bar. My Rolodex is filled with individuals and businesses that can help guide you to where you want to go. Whether you need a resume consultant, headhunter, or vocational specialist, I have a great team lined up, and I can help you find what you need.

Once you're back at work:

• Manage your time and be organized. Combining a job with raising a child demands honed time management and organizational skills. You have a lot of responsibilities, and to make sure they're all attended to — and that you maintain some sense of sanity — set up a system for making sure everything gets done. Too many demands and not enough of you to go around means you may have to let less important matters slide