How to Balance Work and a New Baby?

“It is true what they say— your life turns upside down as soon as you have a baby. I manage a huge team of people at work and often stay after hours and work extra hard to prove I deserve all the success I enjoy. During these times, leaving my baby in the care of even my own mother makes me feel guilty. I couldn’t choose one or another, I need to juggle both. My sense of guilt and inexperience were my biggest challenge.” – Anjali Nadar

As Anjali said, juggling the responsibilities of work and motherhood is no easy feat. You may be excited about rejoining work on the one hand, but on the other you might also feel sadness and guilt over leaving your precious little one in the care of someone else.

But we want you to know that many mothers have not only experienced these same concerns and frustrations but have also learned to navigate through it and live their best life. It’s definitely challenging, yes, but that’s where a little planning and persistence can be helpful.

Here are some smart and simple strategies from “How to take care of baby while working 101” for you:

• Create a shared family calendar

Having a shared calendar where every family member can see each other’s work schedules, appointments and commitments can come a long way in managing the chaos of work and family life. This allows everyone to be on the same page and makes planning and managing things easier.

• Find a good day care or caregiver

Bribe a family member, hire a nanny, leave your precious one at a home daycare or a big daycare center. Be careful, however, do your research, read reviews, get recommendations, do a walk through if you’re able to, but just make sure you can trust them with your baby. This will alleviate half the stress and guilt you feel about leaving your baby at home.

• Have a backup babysitter

Even the most carefully laid out plan can fail, your nanny may take a sick leave, the day care may be closed, or other emergencies may arrive. So, always have a backup babysitter who can take care of your baby in case of emergencies, preferably a family member.

• Divide and conquer

Sharing your responsibilities with your partner can make all the difference. Coordinate your schedules, childcare arrangements, and divide up your household duties each week to make sure everything works out smoothly.

• Simplify meals

You can squeeze in a lot of playtime with your little one by minimizing meal prep time. Keep your breakfasts and dinners simple and quick. Save the elaborate dishes for the weekends and holidays.

• Sneak in cuddle time

Whether it’s during an early morning diaper change or late-night feeding, sneak in time for a little cuddle with your little one. You may not get to spend all day watching over your baby, so try to truly enjoy the time you have.

• Take time for yourself

Being a mother is the toughest job, and managing work along with it can be doubly stressful. So, how could you possibly take time for yourself?

But as much as you’d like to shrug off personal care, your health and well-being are key things that make everything at home and work run smoothly.

The next time you input your week’s plan in the family calendar, schedule at least one event for yourself – like a date with your partner, a meet with your buddies, a visit to the library, etc. Once you experience how healing and rejuvenating even a little time for yourself can be, you’ll come back for more.

Hope you’ve learned something about how to survive being a new mom while still working. Managing everything is certainly not easy. On those days when you’re feeling incompetent, and feel like you could’ve done more at home, or at work, or both, tell yourself that you’re doing the best that you can.

And also remember that this entire chaos and guilt about not being a professional hustler is temporary. You’ll soon learn that you don’t have to be with your baby 24/7 for them to feel loved and happy. And once you realize this, you can take pride in being the extraordinary woman that you are – a hardworking professional and a loving mother.