Enjoying Your Time Away from Work
- When you are on maternity leave, make sure you set some boundaries with the office so you can focus on your new baby. Let them know that if they really need you, they can call/email, but that your priority is going to be your family. Try not to feel guilty about being on leave – believe it or not, your colleagues will be able to survive without you!
- Your family and friends are probably as excited as you are about the new baby. Take advantage of this interest in your newborn and enlist trusted family and friends to help out with child care and chores around the house.
- Your baby's health and well-being should be your top concern. Your baby's pediatrician and/or nurse is an excellent resource for information on topics ranging from sleep and nutrition to the latest medical advances to other important information such as immunizations. Be sure to ask about combination vaccines that can reduce the number of shots your baby has to have during his or her well-baby visits.
- Before you return to work, make sure your baby is up to date on his or her well-baby visits and immunizations. It may become harder to find time to schedule these appointments once you are back at your job. When you get back to the office, you should also talk to your boss or office manager about the best way to handle time off for well-baby appointments or sick children.
