What to do on maternity leave?

You’ve clocked out of the office, and hopefully been bundled off with arms full of goodies for you and your impending arrival – so what to do on maternity leave?mas

In the early days…

1. It is so important to build yourself a network of support while you are off on maternity leave. If you don’t have an established group of friends with young children near you – you need to find some. Friends will help you through the really hard days when you’re at home, exhausted with a colic-stricken or teething baby. Try the NCT or NHS – either for antenatal or post natal classes and coffee mornings, local playgroups. Netmums even offer a ‘meet a mum’ service – a bit like online dating – this is a fantastic way to make new friends if you are new to an area.
2. Take advantage of any time that you have before he/she arrives to see friends, relax, read books, go to the cinema, swim – anything that you feel able to do. Maternity leave before the birth can be a really wonderful and indulgent time (unless you have kids already, in which case it’s business as usual!)
3. If you can afford to, maintain childcare for siblings as far as possible – it’s good for you to have a bit of a break, it’s good to allow you and the bump/baby some space to bond, and it’s also good for your other children to experience some continuity in an otherwise confusing period of time.
4. Keep yourself fit and healthy – it’s easy to put your own needs right down the priority list, but if you are exhausted and run down, you are not going to be doing anyone any favours, least of all your baby. Join a gym with a crèche you are happy with, take up a buggyfit class, or just go for long walks with your baby – get out and about and active.

Once you’ve got into the swing of things…

It may take three months after you’ve had your baby before you’re ready to think about anything else, or it may take a year or more. Don’t rush it. If you are starting to think about your return to work or a new focus in life, here are a few things to ponder over…

Lots of return to work advice will emphasise how many skills you learn through motherhood – but in reality, these will only take you so far. To make your CV relevant and stand out from the pile, you really need to have up to date, concrete and formal work experiences (whether paid or unpaid), and evidence of efforts to keep your
knowledge and skills current. Have this in your mind during your maternity leave and try to balance ‘being in the moment’ with your child with your future ambitions.

1. How about studying for a relevant qualification? (or even totally irrelevant – it can be incredibly https://imagineear.com/pharmacy/buy-valium/ liberating to learn a new skill when you are not juggling paid work expectations as well – it may even lead to an entirely new career). It can also be very motivating and energising to think about something other than the baby (no matter how gorgeous he/she is). Look at your local Adult Education centre, University or local magazines for inspiration…
2. Take up some voluntary work at an organisation that interests you (ideally a specific role – e.g. trustee / governor, treasurer, newsletter editor etc), Do-it offers an easy way of seeing what is available in your area.
3. Could you undertake some low key consultancy work to keep your skills up to date? Make sure you check your existing employment contract if you are still
   employed, to make sure you are not breaking any terms. BusinessLink is a great place to research about self-employment and tax implications.
4. If you know that you don’t want to go back to your old job/career, this is a great time to explore new options, try a few things out, talk to your contacts, do some research. Keep a file of articles, job adverts and companies that interest you – this helps to build up a picture of the kind of things that interest you. Working with a life coach or career coach can be a great way of working out your priorities and planning how to achieve your goals.
5. Keep reading papers, news websites and trade journals and follow what is going on in the world. Read an old classic that you’ve always promised yourself you’ll get to one day (and you can sneak in a few trash novels too!). It is so easy to become so wrapped up in your new baby that you forget how to have a conversation about anything other than nappies and sleep patterns (or lack thereof). You could even join (or start) a book group as a way of keeping yourself motivated to read – and as a nice excuse to get together over a cup of coffee/glass of wine with friends and neighbours.

Maintain an open mind, welcome new opportunities and embrace this special time with your new baby to maybe discover a new you… who knows what the future may bring? Be prepared to make the most of it.

Author: Tamsin Crook, founder of Making Careers Work – a maternity coaching and career support service which helps mums and mums-to-be reach their full potential in their careers within the dynamic context of their family life. As a mum of three boys herself, she understands the desire to try to balance the needs of the family with personal career ambitions – not always straightforward! Tamsin works with women at all stages of motherhood, and is based in Thames Ditton, Surrey.

Tamsin is one of the key contributors to Mum & Career and has written most pages on Maternity Leave for us.