backtowork

Work is Looming

I called the office and confirmed with my boss that I am scheduled to return to work the Monday after next. I was hoping she would say, "Six weeks isn’t enough, go ahead and take eight," but instead she said, "We can’t wait for you to come back!"

The first two weeks back I’ll take Wednesdays off because the mom & baby class has two more sessions, and it will also give me a day to regroup midweek. I’ll be working a 32 hour, five day week, with Etta beside my desk in a carriage. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m going to try to make it work as long as I can.

Getting Ready for Monday

I can’t believe my maternity leave is over. I’m due back on Monday, so this weekend I went in and stocked up my office with a bouncy seat, carriage, diaper pail and diapers, and plenty of changes of clothes for us both. Luckily Etta learned to entertain herself this week because when I return to the office with her in tow, I will need to put her down for periods of time so that I can pack boxes of equipment, type on the computer, and talk on the phone and write at the same time. Otherwise my plan is to have her in the front carrier on my chest while I file, sort, and do other tasks which don’t involve much bending or sharp objects. We’ll see how well this works!

Back to Work

The days of staying in bed until noon to catch up on a sleepless night are over. The alarm goes off and I must get myself and Etta ready and out the door on time.

Although two of my coworkers stopped by the office occasionally in my absence to deal with urgent matters, the bulk of my work was in tall stacks waiting for me. Mail, filing, medical equipment to be cleaned and tested…a six week accumulation greeted me. I also dove back into the insurance verifications component of my job, which required multiple calls to case managers, doctors, hospitals, patients, our staff nurses, and the corporate office. It would have been easy to get overwhelmed, but I set goals for myself and attended to each task as the situation allowed.

Etta was excellent, despite a few episodes where she vomited all over herself and the carriage. She spent time on her changing pad batting at her roly-poly toy, sat in the bouncy seat watching the traffic on the highway outside the window, and snoozed in the carriage. When she wanted to be held, I put her in the front carrier so she could snuggle on my chest, yet I still had two hands free to continue my work. I always used to work with my door open to the hallway, but now it’s closed because my shirt is often unbuttoned for breastfeeding. I know that one of these days I will forget to button up and walk mindlessly down to the copier with my bra hanging out.

I already recognize that the day will come when I’ll quit my job solely to care for Etta, but I’m hoping to work as long as possible for financial reasons. Purchasing the new mini-van is stretch for us because we had to take out a loan. My husband believes strongly in not carrying any debt other than a mortgage, but with the cost of vehicles these days we had to make an exception. If I put every penny of my salary towards the cost of the van it would take me over a year to pay it off, and I make three times the minimum wage!

Adjusting to Work

It’s only the second week back to work and already I’ve asked to have my hours reduced. My boss has given me permission to work 30 hours, at six hours five days a week.

Our morning routine begins an hour and a half before I’m due at the office. Etta has usually been awake for a while beforehand, and we nurse and snuggle in bed together until the alarm goes off. I change Etta into a fresh diaper, turn the light on, and put her in the crib to coo at her stuffed toys. She is usually in a very cheerful mood and will gladly play in her crib while I leave the room to shower and dress. I can get myself ready for the day in about 15 minutes, with the longest part of my routine spent braiding up my hair. I then return to the nursery and dress Etta. We go downstairs and Etta sits in the bouncy seat while I pack lunch and eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I’ve usually packed the bag of supplies (new changes of clothes, toys, changing pads, diapers, etc.) to take to the office the night before, but I still throw a few things in at the last moment. I get Etta into her carseat, put on my shoes, and we go out to the car for the five minute drive to the office.