I have been a stay at home mum since I went on maternity leave with my daughter in 2010 . Next year she starts prep and I feel that will be time to get a full time job , however the prospect of going back to work totally overwhelms me . I was diagnosed with PND when my daughter was 6 months old and I have struggled ever since then been on and off antidepressants I just cant seem to shake it. I wonder once I am working how will I possibly have time to do the housework , cook dinner , take my daughter to activities etc . How do other working mums do it ! I had my daughter 3 weeks before my 21st birthday and worked in an office doing admin, data entry etc for 3 years prior to going on maternity leave and I worked at least 40 hours a week most times more. My daughter is an only child and highly demanding of my time , on the days she is home from kindy and the weekends I don't get a lot done as im constantly dealing with her every request. Most importantly I am worried how I will cope and how it will impact my ability to be a good mother , sometimes I have days now were its all too much as it is. Can anyone give any advice ? Thanks
4 Replies
Is it possible to just to back to work part time? The hours won't be such a shock and so overwhelming and sometimes the cost of day care isn't work working full time anyway. I also suffered psd and found going back to work was scary at first but turned out to help me through my depression. It give me something to keep my mind busy and something that made me feel important and something that was mine that didn't involve kids! Getting house work and dinner prepared is hard. Is it possible to get help from your partner? I'm a single mum so I didn't have that option I just had to be more organised. I would prepare meals on the weekend then freeze them so when I came home from work and picking up kids from day care I could just chuck them in the microwave and sit down and eat. I also tried to clean as I go. I would pick things up right away or wash dishes right away rather than letting things pile up. Also your kid is old enough to be helping out :) getting them involved in cooking and clean will not only help you but will mean your still spending time together..
If you have some extra cash you can also pay someone to do your washing or ironing or small tasks. You can hire local mums who can do it at their home and it can cost as little as 20 bucks! Something to look into :)
If you don't need to go back to work for financial reasons don't. Take 12 months, do a light course, volunteer for reading in the classroom, if you feel you are coping pick up some volunteer work and then if that goes well and your feeling well then look for part time work. Going to school from kindy is a big adjustment for some kids and taking some time to make sure things are running smoothly is smart for your daughter and you.
I had to go back to work full time when my daughter was 11 months for financial reasons.
It's damn hard most days and during the week I get very little time with my daughter. Once I walk through the door at 5pm I have only 2 hours with her before she goes to bed and I hate it. We try keep activities until the weekend but somehow fit in house chores too.
Unless you need to work to survive don't do it. I hate every day of it and currently working on finding a night time job so I can be at home with her during the day and work at night. Daycare fees are ridiculous so you need to be earning a lot more to justify it. Goodluck! :)