BEFORE MATERNITY LEAVE

• Be sure to give your boss plenty of notice that you are expecting. Many women wait until they are out of the first trimester, which is fine, but don't wait too long if you want them to be more accepting of the idea that you are going to be taking time off.
• Research your companies maternity leave, and research whether sick time, unused vacation and/or short term disability benefits can be used to lengthen your maternity leave.
• Consider asking your boss if you can rearrange your schedule when you start back. For example, can you start back part-time and ease back into full time, or working from home a few days a week. Be ready to show your boss how this can be beneficial to the company, as well as you.
• Start researching daycare immediately. Most daycare providers have wait lists and you don't want to be stressing over finding child care while you are on maternity leave.

DURING MATERNITY LEAVE

• If you are planning to breastfeed, be sure to purchase a good pump, if you haven't already. Most working mom's recommend the Medela Pump In Style.
• Begin to think about a place that you can pump in private at work. You shouldn't have to settle for a bathroom stall, your employer should work with you to find a clean, comfortable place for you to pump.
• If there isn't a refrigerator nearby be sure to purchase good icepacks and a cooler to keep your expressed milk from spoiling during the day.
• Work on introducing a bottle to your baby a few weeks prior to your return to work. That way you will have less of a chance of the baby refusing the bottle when you return to work.
• Consider getting the baby (and yourself) used to daycare by taking him/her there for an hour or so a few times a week. This way s/he will get used to his/her new surroundings before you go back to work. Also, use this time as a dry run, see how long it takes you to get ready in the morning, drop off the baby and get to work. That way on your first day back you will have some idea of how much extra time you will need in the mornings.

AFTER MATERNITY LEAVE

• Try to start back on a Wednesday or Thursday so your first week back is a short week.
• If possible, bring pictures of your baby and decorate your work space (although I think this makes it harder for some women).
• If your daycare center is close enough, consider dropping in to see your little one(s) during your lunch break if possible. This can help ease the transition for you.
• Have a good friend (or friends) that knows you're going back to work and is available for you to reach out, especially those first couple days.
• If you plan to continue to breastfeed, do so in the morning before work, as soon as you arrive home and again before bed to help keep your supply up.
• Be prepared, not all of your coworkers will be as thrilled as you are about the birth of your baby. If people ask to see pictures or hear details of the birth, feel free to share them, but know that some of your coworkers will just be glad you are back at work and expect you to be working.
• Don't feel you have to jump back in at 110% on your first day back, ease back into your work and don't let anyone push you back into something you aren't ready for. Be sure to meet with your boss/supervisors to find out any important details that may have happened while you were out.
• Try to do all preparations the night before. I even showered the night before when my daughter was born. I did this until I got a routine down for her and was able to figure out how to fit in my own "getting ready" routine.
• Try to have meals for dinner prepared or planned out at the beginning of the week. This gives more quality time with baby in the evenings.
• Have a plan worked out with dh about household chores so that you aren't trying to do everything by yourself once you go back to work. My dh got used to me doing everything while I was on maternity leave and he had a rude awakening when my first child was born when he had to start helping again after I returned to work.
• Make sure you take time to pump if you are doing that. I would try to wait as long as possible and then I was miserable. I was worried that my employer thought I was taking too long or something. By the second child I was over it and I didn't worry about what they thought. My first priority is my child and that includes pumping.
• And another one to add for any pumping moms. If you have a husband or SO living with you, give them bottle duty. It's my dh's (dear husband's) duty to wash that day's bottles from daycare, the pumping equipment, and fill the next day's bottles with expressed milk. He doesn't love the job but I tell him anytime he'd like to trade and attach a couple cones to HIS nipples 2-3 times a day, he's more than welcome!
• MOST OF ALL, DO NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT YOUR DECISION TO RETURN TO WORK!!!! We all know that for some women staying home is NOT an option. As much as most of us would love to do it, sometimes it's just not in the cards.