Me and my friend were chatting one afternoon. She is a qualified professional, married and expecting her first child soon. As much as she was excited to welcome the new member to the family I could see her anxiety as to how she would manage her job and kid post-delivery. Though I tried to comfort her stating things will fall in place and at this stage her health should be the priority I could resonate with her feelings as I have gone through that stage myself.
Life changes for a woman after she becomes a mother and it changes manifold after the second child. How much thought through the decision to take a career break may seem the mind never seems to be prepared. Be it seeking advice from women having kids, taking a count of percentage of working mothers in my neighborhood (and the percentage of those working with two kids), I have done it all. Whatever decision a mother takes -to continue working or take a career break-is always a stressful one. Career breaks can be a tricky thing to negotiate, especially for women who find themselves torn between their job and taking care of a child. Besides, it can make things overwhelming for the new mother.
The stress post-delivery can take a toll on the new mom’s mental and physical health. Here a few things that can be done to help minimize it :
- Take out time for yourself-Me time is very important. Try to keep one hour a day for yourself by indulging in something that interests you. It could be walking, going to the gym, watching a movie etc.
- Try to get as much sleep as possible as sleep deprivation can make everything seem worse.
- Do not hesitate to ask for help or accept help when being offered. These days especially because of the nuclear family set-up child care can be really strenuous especially for the new parents.
- Make friends with mothers having kids of the same age group. This can be a big support group as it helps you share and also bond with other moms.
If you have decided to take a career break please do consider the following things:
- Always assure yourself that the break does not mean a decline in skills.
- Do not compare yourself with others-you don’t know what their situation and journey is all about.
- Don’t let the confidence go down and stay motivated and focused on getting back to work whenever the situation permits.
- Be ready to take on a few challenges when you return to work-could be starting at a level you had left while others have moved up the ladder in your absence.
- Take on a freelance or part-time work if your profession allows even if the pay does not seem worth it. It will at least help you to be engaged in something.
- Keep in touch with old colleagues and employers. Networking can increase your chances of getting selected.
- Keep telling yourself that the situation will not remain the same and improve one day.
How much ever testing the situation may appear always be positive and remember if it’s not well it’s not the end… 🙂
This blog was first published on https://www.momspresso.com/parenting/a-memory-here-an-emotion-there/article/all-will-be-well-in-the-end
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