And the tears and tantrums were just me! Well I’m three weeks in to going back to work after my 9 months maternity leave and I think I’m coping but then again I have to… ok so I’m struggling a little so I thought I’d have a little blog therapy session where I think about the pros and cons of being a working mother to help get my head around it all. It’s not even as if it’s the first time, it’s my third! I work as a community midwife three days per week and I have two children in school and one in nursery and also with my Mum and Dad (I am so grateful for the help my parents give me).
The first week was great, it was a novelty and work eased me in nicely and didn’t expect much of me, but by the third week we had staff sickness which piled on the pressure and I had my first on call and got called out in the night. The house resembles a war zone crossed with a rubbish dump and a place where odd socks and broken toys live and Baby D isn’t sure who his Mother is anymore (maybe that’s not true but it feels like it). Some adjustment is needed, we’ll get there eventually, right now I need a list of pros and cons for going back to work.
Pros:
- I get to listen to the actual news in the car without interruption or being made to put on the Frozen soundtrack, nursery rhyme CD (from the beginning Mummy!) and can sing along to any song I like at any volume without having to be a referee, pacifier, or drink/snack/toy passer
- I can make a cup of tea and actually finish it while it’s hot
- I get to converse with adults without constant interruption and demands
- I get on with my colleagues and they’re more like friends
- we now have a microwave at work
- I can have lunch when I’m hungry without catering for others first
- I only have to get my boobs out once per day (for expressing, I’m not a glamour model!)
- I get paid real money!
- I am respected for my opinions and people listen to what I have to say
- I get to wear something other than stretchy trousers, leggings and jeans
- I can wear makeup
- I can wear a normal necklace
- I can start a task and concentrate on it until it’s finished
- The time I spend with the children becomes quality time
- I get to go on work nights out
- It’s only 3 days a week and most of the time that’s Tuesday – Thursday
- I can’t drink wine when I’m on call so I save calories and it’s better for me
Cons
- I miss Baby D terribly, sometimes it makes me feel physically sick
- I can’t take the children to school on the days I work
- I feel like I’m missing out on all the little things
- I can’t keep up with looking after the house
- I don’t feel like I’m giving either work or home life enough attention
- Baby D isn’t taking milk from a bottle or a cup
- I don’t have anything decent to wear
- I have to get dressed properly
- I have to work some weekends and be on call roughly once a week
- I can’t drink wine when I’m on call
- I’d rather be blogging
- Baby D doesn’t sleep through so I often feel like a zombie
Well, on balance it looks like at the moment there are more pros and cons which can only be a good thing as I can’t afford to stop work right now, even if I could I would keep working regularly as a midwife to keep my knowledge and skills up to date as they are an integral part of me. I just need to figure out a way to have extra hours in the day and actually do things on my to do list – I’m working my way through slowly – who needs sleep…
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