Back to work at Sage after being on maternity leave! #lifeatsage

I’ve been silent on LinkedIn for a while as I’ve been on maternity leave for the last 9 months but now I am getting back in the swing of things and thought I’d share how it’s going so far….

Before I came back to work, I am not going to lie, I was dreading it. Not because of the actual work but because I didn’t know how I would feel leaving my little boy all day and I just want to spend as much time as possible with him. Out of my antenatal group, I am also the first one to go back to work with others taking longer off and some not planning to return to work anytime soon – this made me feel really guilty for taking the leap to go back into work after just 9 months off.

I planned to spread my KIT (Keeping in Touch) days over 5 weeks doing two days per week, then 4 days per week till the end of the year and from January 2018 I’ll be back to full-time. In my head as I had scheduled my work return so it was gradual from 2 to 4 to 5 days per week, my KIT days were very much the start of my journey back to work.

The night before my first KIT day I was a bit of an emotional wreck and my OCD kicked in as I must have checked a zillion times that I had everything ready for both me and my son for the next couple of days.

Walking in to the office was fine and everyone was incredibly welcoming. By my second KIT day I felt like I’d never been away! I was surprised on how much I remembered from before I went off and things started to click back into place. And most importantly, although I missed my wingman (my little boy) massively, it was so nice to be back having adult conversation and being able to use my brain. I love my little boy so much and this will never change but I also love having my own identity away from being a mum. Everyone achieves this in a different way but for me this was coming back to work and continuing with my career.

I am not going to lie, being a working mum is not going to be easy but so far I seem to be doing ok. Trying to juggle everything and also make sure I get to have time with my son can be a challenge. My husband is a small business owner and works insane hours so all the dropping off, picking up, feeding and putting to bed duties land with me. I don’t mind at all and the bonus is this has resulted in making me super-efficient with my time.

The time I have with my little boy now is so special, we make sure we enjoy every minute. The time I have work, is also special to me as it allows me to continue to grow, learn and develop whilst delivering my role for a great company.

Hopefully the next few months go as well as the first few days. So far, so good. It was great to be off and it’s great to be back.

#LifeAtSage 

#WomenReturners

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#MatLeaveIsOver

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