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You are here: Home / In the home / How To Stay Organised When Returning To Work

How To Stay Organised When Returning To Work

July 29, 2017 By: Michelle7 Comments

Babies change everything. It’s just a fact of life. Before I had my first child I thought I had a pretty clear ideas about how things would pan out when I returned to work. It all looked fairly simple in my head. In reality, my first year with a baby was rather different to how I’d imagined.

Any working mum who manages to get out of the house in a white shirt not covered in kids mess is a magician!!

When it came time to return to work I had an 11 month old who was still waking 2-3 times a night, breastfeeding 3-4 hourly and I was basically shattered. I was so far from ready to go back, but unfortunately our bank balance said otherwise so I really didn’t have a choice.

Six and a half years and three kids later, things are pretty different. That non sleeping baby is now a 6 year old (who still doesn’t really like sleep) and has been followed up by two more babies (one who loves his sleep and one who takes after his big brother). Once again, I’m planning my return to work. This time around I’m feeling excited and ready. Three kids, working from home and no me time is taking its toll and I think a day or two a week at “work” will be a nice break.

Over the next few months I’ve got a conference and a few other work commitments outside of the house and I’m getting ready to jump back into some part time work in my pre kids profession (I’m an Audiologist).

One thing I do think I have more under control this time is the organisation of returning to work with kids.

Getting Organised When Returning To Work (With KIDS!)

If you asked me what was the one thing that makes the biggest difference to our daily routine I would probably say pre-planning. I’m NOT a morning person and I hate feeling rushed first thing. Pre-planning everything really takes the stress away. When it comes to returning to work, planning is critical!

The Night Before Makes Or Breaks The Day

Prepare lunches the night before to save a rush in the morning.

Mornings with kids are chaos if you need to be out of the house at a specific time. I try and make mornings as stress free as possible by preparing everything the night before. We lay out the days clothes (for everyone, me included), put bowls on the table for breakfast, prepare lunches, pack bags and make sure everything is ready to go.

The more prepared you are the night before, the smoother the morning runs. It really does reduce stress and get the day started in a calm way.

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Enlist Help

This is something I have become much better at over the years. If you have a partner then the morning tasks should be shared. My husband leaves for work at 5.30am so while he’s not actually present in the morning, he does help with the morning routine by preparing lunches or getting clothes ready the night before.

As well as enlisting help from other members of your household, consider whether outside help would be an option. Can you afford a cleaner once a fortnight? What about someone to do the ironing (if you iron!)

The Slow Cooker Is Your Friend

Trying to organise dinner after a long day at work with kids at your feet is a nightmare. I generally avoid cooking at all on work days if at all possible by using the slow cooker. I prepare everything the night before and then put it on before I leave.

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You Don’t Have To Give Up Breastfeeding

One of my biggest fears when I was getting ready to return to work after my oldest son was that it would ruin our breastfeeding relationship. I had huge struggles getting him to feed in the early months (reflux, failure to thrive, low supply, you name it, we had it) and it was really important to me personally that he breastfed to 12+ months and self weaned. When I needed to return to work at 11 months, with him still having 2-3 days feeds, I was very concerned about how this would work out.

My workplace was extremely supportive and I was very fortunate to have my own office so privacy for expressing wasn’t ever an issue. I’d previously used a Medela Swing electric pump to build my supply when he was younger so I continued to use this and found that he happily skipped all but one feed while I was at work, which I was able to replace with expressed breastmilk in a sippy cup.

This time around I’m very fortunate that Medela gifted me a Freestyle double electric pump which is a whole other level of awesome when it comes to expressing. The main difference I have found is that it is much faster to express (doing both breasts at once). I’ve tried several different brands of breast pump (manual and electric) but I really like the Medela’s because they are compact and have a two phase expressing process that mimics how a baby actually feeds at the breast.

I love the convenient bottle sized cooler that came with the Freestyle pump.

If you are returning to work and wanting to continue breastfeeding I would highly recommend purchasing an electric pump. If it’s only a day or so a week then a single pump like the Swing would probably suffice but if you are likely to be expressing more frequently I would look into a double pump. I’m really happy with the Medela Freestyle and love that it comes with a full kit of everything you need (bottles, cooler bag ect).

Returning to work doesn’t have to be the end of breastfeeding if you and your baby aren’t ready. I tried to express twice while at work in the early days and this time I’m planning to express once. We use the Medela Calma teat when giving milk in a bottle as he can then control the flow the same as he would at the breast. We’ve also effectively used a sippy cup which is a good option if your bub doesn’t take a bottle.

Be Kind To Yourself

Returning to work after having kids is a big adjustment. Along with all the emotions you may be feeling, the juggle of getting everyone organised and out the door can be stressful. Remember to cut yourself some slack and be kind to yourself (and your partner and kids!). Try not to let emotions run high, remain calm and don’t add to the chaos with yelling.

Take Time Out

One of the huge pluses of returning to work outside the home is the ability to carve out some “you time”. It may be your only chance to drink a hot cup of tea or pee on your own so take advantage of it and make sure you take some time out just for you!

How old was your little one when you returned to work? How did you find it?

Medela provide breastfeeding mums, families and communities with the leading breastfeeding products, expert insights, and ongoing research and education to support the breastfeeding journey.

Medela Australia provide support and education to mums along their journey through their FREE mobile app MyMedela and blog site.

Sign up to Take 5 with Medela now to receive updates and information tailored to your journey
www.mymedela.com.au | www.medela.com.au | www.medelabreastfeedingblog.com.au     

Comments

  1. Jodie Leather says

    August 9, 2017 at 12:01 pm

    Great tips! Parenthood definitely changes everything and though it may seem hard to adjust at first, things get easier along the way.

    Reply
  2. Maraya says

    August 27, 2017 at 6:27 pm

    Love this. I only have to leave the house to work in an office one day a week and even that’s hard! It takes so much longer to look presentable 😂

    Reply
  3. Simone says

    August 27, 2017 at 6:43 pm

    I definitely agree. I am not a morning person either so the night before is so important!

    Reply
  4. Maxabella says

    August 27, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    It’s quite an overwhelming time, but your tips will ease the load for so many mums. I expressed at work for about four months and it worked out just fine.

    Reply
  5. Eve says

    August 28, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    I agree! I also get everything ready the night before- my clothes, the kids clothes, the table is set for breakfast and lunches are done except for sandwiches. Makes my morning much more relaxed and sets me up for a good day!!

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    August 29, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    I’m really grateful that I didn’t have to return to work while breastfeeding because it would have stressed me no end. These are great tips.

    Reply
  7. Anna says

    June 25, 2019 at 11:10 pm

    I wish I found this post when I first returned back to work!

    6 months down the track and we’ve kind of found a routine that works. Meal planning, organising clothes, and having clean bottles/formula portions organised for the week ahead makes a massive difference.

    I can totally relate re BF – I also wanted to continue breastfeeding when I went back to work. After the first week of manual breast pumping each night after work to supply my 11 month old with his bottles while at day care, I gave up. I was at home pumping my heart out, only to have day care tell me my child wouldnt drink his bottles and they were tipping my breast milk out each day. What an agonising waste!!!! We changed to formula for day care and saved breast feeding for home. My boy is now 16 months old and we are still in the same routine.

    I totally agree with carving out some time for yourself. I really enjoy grabbing a quick lunch with colleagues – so nice to be able to eat your food while it’s still hot- what a treat!!

    Occasionally I’ll go get a quick 15 minute massage on my lunch break – it does me the world of good.

    Click and collect has also become my new best friend- my time is finite and precious, so reclaiming some by online grocery shopping is awesome!

    Reply

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