One of the biggest questions that working moms tend to have about raising their children really early on is when they should go back to work. Many mothers will have maternity leave for a specific period of time, so they don’t really have to worry about making that decision on their own. If you have flexibility when it comes to exiting your maternity leave however, you should definitely weigh some factors before making a final decision.
The first factor is what will happen to your baby when you are at work. If your partner has some sort of paternal leave benefit as well or your baby is going to be cared for by a nanny or governess during the day, you might not have to worry as much about coming back to work earlier. If neither of these are the case however, you should try to stay on maternity leave until you are able to come up with a situation whereby your baby is under the care of someone you trust while you are at work.
At the same time, going back to work is something that is also contingent on the other aspects of your life. Is there something at work that really needs your attention? Is there a temporary situation (such as a babysitting service provided by your workplace) that you can use for your baby? These are all good examples of questions that you should be asking when it is almost time for your maternity leave to expire.
In the end, you should never compromise the safety or the development of your child for the sake of your work. Your first priority from now on should be ensuring that your baby gets the chance to grow up healthy and happy. As long as anything is conflicting with that, you should be working to minimize the conflicts as much as possible.
Generally speaking, workplaces where the employees and bosses know each other tend to be places where a lot of support is available. While there are some bad apples out there, generally you will find that people are willing to help you out when your baby is very young. Take advantage of their kindness and ensure your situation is as good as it can be.
