The best laid plans – why it’s important to revisit (or rethink) your plans now that baby is here

Before having a baby, you might have all sorts of ideas about how the return to work was going to go. You might have everything planned out, i.e. four days a week at work, mum babysitting on Tuesdays, childcare three days per week, the ability to leave early on Friday … and so on.  

But we all know that you can’t predict parenthood. You might now have needs you didn’t anticipate. Or, you may want to work more than you thought you did. Or, things may change – it’s okay to re-assess what is working for your family.  

Now that baby is here, you’ll better understand how you’re dealing with the transition and what care might work best for your family. Read on for four things worth thinking about and/or re-considering in the lead-up to returning to work. 

Flexibility  

Depending on when you return to work, what your baby’s temperament is, and what your own needs are, flexibility can look very different. And it may be looking very different now to what it was before you had your child. 

For those returning to work in the early months (be that two parents or one), you may find baby sleeps a lot and you’re able to work from home, and be more productive than you thought. Or you may have inherited a terrible sleeper and need to request later start times while you work through the fog. For others, you may be happy to return to a physical workplace, and work a structured day. Often at this point, your baby can dictate your terms of flexibility.  

As baby gets older, your flexibility needs may change. Your child may be in childcare, which enables you to work more. At the same time, you may want to leave early some days so your child isn’t having to have long days in care. Or maybe you want to work from home occasionally. You may also find that care you had planned before baby was born is no longer available.  

Take some time to map out what flexibility arrangements will help you now that baby has arrived. It’s important to remember that nothing you have previously agreed to has to be set in stone.   

Support plans 

Draft your support plan as you navigate the first six or 12 months, and discuss it with your key support people (partner, grandparents, etc.). Think about who you want on the list to call in an emergency, how you’ll split domestic duties, and non-negotiables for self-care (e.g. attending weekly yoga classes on a Wednesday evening). Also, note any workplace EAP support available and any other mental health and wellbeing resources you will draw from. If you need additional support, you might want to consider using the e-COPE Directory.  

Use the support plan template for more ideas on what to include.    

 Download the support plan template

Keeping in touch 

Now that you’ve adjusted to life with baby and you’re thinking about the return to work, you might want to reflect on your Keeping in Touch Plan. Is it still relevant, or do you want to scale up your contact points? Even if you’re just weeks away from returning to work, there’s still time to use some of those keeping in touch days to connect.  

You may want to contact your manager to request time to get updated on organisational changes. Or you may want to think about using your keeping in touch days to scale up your transition back to work. For example, you may want to do a couple of days a week as your child eases into daycare.  

On the other hand, you might have changed your mind about the contact you had agreed to before baby was born. You might be feeling overwhelmed, and don’t want work on your mind. That’s ok too.  

Remember, nothing you’ve previously agreed to must stay in place if you want to make changes while on leave. All you have to do is ask.  

Logistics of the return to work 

If your return to work is on the horizon, you may be prepared to talk with your employer about how you want to transition back into the workplace. Conversely, you may wish to request an extension. Be aware you need to notify your employer four weeks (minimum) before your planned return date, but we always suggest giving as much notice as possible to help with business planning.  

When planning the return to work, it’s worth thinking about logistics, such as: 

• The care of baby – who will be looking after baby, how will baby get to care, who will be picking baby up, do you need to prepare meals/nappies/medication for care. 

• Your work day – whether you will be going in the office or working from home, what needs to happen for you to start work on time, if you’re working from home whether you have everything you need i.e. laptop, access to systems, if you’re going to a physical workplace whether you have what you need to access the building.  

• Additional needs – this could include breastfeeding-friendly outfits, or any physical adjustments you need to make to your work environment post-baby (for example, if you’re experiencing back problems from endless nights of rocking your child to sleep you may need to make some ergonomic adjustments to your work station).  

We hope this has helped figure out a few things that might’ve been ticking over on your mind during leave. Next, you may want to read about the conversations you need to have in the first few months of your return.