Episode Transcript

The time has come. The end of your maternity leave is looming. 

All your energy has been focused on your new baby. And now you have to switch into work mode. 

Your life has been redefined in recent months. And it’s about to be redefined once again. 

A New Perspective on Returning to Work After Maternity Leave

You’re excited to get back to the world of work. Back to the world of adulthood. 

But you’re wondering what it’s going to be like given your new family dynamics

You’re worried about going back to work as a mom. About getting your mind and your brain back in gear.

You’re worried about going back after having been away so long. How much you’ve missed, and how much you’ve fallen behind.

It’s in your nature as a mom to worry.

But you know, no one else is worried about these things. Only you are.

No one expects you to catch up on everything that happened while you were gone. They’re all looking ahead.

No one notices your case of baby brain. They only see you jumping right back into it

No one even remembers how long you’ve been gone. They’re just glad to have you back. 

BTW, it helps a lot if you don’t think of it as going back. 

You never really “go back.” Because you aren’t going back to the way it was. 

Even if you’re going back to the same job, it’ll be different. 

Not because the job has changed necessarily but because you have. 

So instead of thinking of it as going back, think of it as going forward

You’re starting anew today.

Post Maternity Leave Strategies to Help You Ease Back Into Your Engineering Career

As you’re easing into your engineering career again, there are 3 transitions at play:

  1. the transition from maternity leave to work
  2. the transition into motherhood. Perhaps from spouse to spouse and mother
  3. and the transition from your job then to your job now.

Here are some return-to-work strategies to help you with these 3 transitions: 

  1. The Transition from Maternity Leave to Work

In the transition from maternity leave to work, the challenge is juggling work and family. 

Figuring out how your work schedule can accommodate you. And how your family schedule can survive the challenges of your work responsibilities. 

How to manage daycare arrangements and feedings. How to handle at-home work and in-office work. How to plan for travel.

A good strategy is to stay in communication with your boss about your transition. Talk about your concerns and your schedule. Negotiate tasks and deadlines when you can. 

Ask how other working parents have managed these challenges. Use the benefits your organization offers, such as flexible scheduling.

Everyone’s life balance strategy is different. The best strategy is the one that works for you. 

So give yourself time and space to figure out what that is.

Another challenge is baby brain. After months of totally focusing on your baby, your work brain seems like it’s turned to mush. 

Your strategy here is to give it time. You’ll be surprised how quickly things come back to you. In the meantime, go easy on yourself.

There are 2 other podcast episodes that’ll be helpful for this transition: Episode 10 on time satisfaction and Episode 25 on the paradox “less is more.”

  1. The Transition into Motherhood

In the transition from spouse to spouse and mother, your challenge is getting the right kind of support

You’ll need a different kind of support as a parent. You’ll need people to talk to about how to deal with family issues.

A good strategy is to seek out employee resource groups or other support groups for working parents. 

If your organization is small you might have to look outside your workplace.

Also tap into your network and find other colleagues or parents who can relate to your situation. 

You can learn from their strategies. And they’ll appreciate having another parent to exchange ideas with.

And don’t forget self-care. This is not a trivial transition, so self-care is really important. You’ll want to double down on that.

Some other podcast episodes that’ll be helpful are Episode 8 on asking for what you need, Episode 30 on self-advocacy, and Episode 55 on overwhelm.

  1. The Transition from Your Job Then to Your Job Now

The transition from your job then to your job now is about starting anew. It’s about settling in and finding your rhythm.

Your challenge is resuming your job and getting back on track with your engineering career. Figuring out where to start and how to move forward from there.

Like we talked about earlier, a good strategy is to not focus so much on the past and what you missed. And instead focus on going forward. 

Follow up on only the most important happenings since you left. And pick up at the present as much as possible. Update your career vision and head in that direction.

You still have all your skills and experience. So you’ll be on top of things again pretty quickly.

Some other helpful podcast episodes are 11 and 73 on managing your workload, Episode 89 on perfectionism and regaining energy, and Episode 101 on career saboteurs, including things like imposter syndrome. You might struggle with that a bit.

As you ease into your engineering career again, ask yourself how you can make it easy. Using the strategies here will help your return to work be as seamless as possible. 

I’d love to help you with your post-maternity-leave new-start strategy. It’s a stressful time. So consider signing up for a strategy session with me. 

Soon you’ll have a comfortable routine. And the role of working mom will be second nature. 

Your family will be well taken care of while you’re back on track and on your way toward your engineering career vision.

Next time on Her Engineering Career Podcast, we’ll explore the challenges of getting outside your box: What happens when you stretch into your leadership role. 

I hope you’ll join me for Episode 127.