Parental Leave Over

My apologies for the lack of blog posts recently I was preparing to go back to full time work after just over 7 months of parental leave.

When I first went on parental leave prior to V being born I thought it would be a type of leave that would never run out and it would be all relaxing, catching up on tv series, having coffee with other mummies and just an all round good time. Oh how wrong I was!

At the beginning, I actually found being on parental leave so hard that I was thinking over and over what have I gotten myself into and I was so afraid of being the worst mother in the world. I thought going back to work was the best option in the world and that way I wouldn’t be such a bad mummy.

As the weeks went on, things got better and I actually felt like I was doing the best job I could I began to feel the confidence growing then....  BAM!

I realised it was 3 weeks left to go on my leave and I began to feel depressed and I cried all the time because I felt guilty that I had to return to work, that I had to leave my baby everyday and go to work whilst someone else would look after him.  I cherished every day more and more and I just wanted to stop everything (including the housework) and just be with him because there would never be another moment in my life where I would be able to spend time with my son as much as I did at this age.

I loved my parental leave even though we had the same old routine and we would do the same things I actually loved spending so much time with my son and developing this unbreakable bond with him. 

 

So now I am back to work and I think I have never ever been this organised in my whole life. My Sundays are now spent cooking for the whole week. Cutting, grating, slicing, chopping, cooking everything for the week and having all things like snacks prepared in advance, one day when I was in Aldi they had these containers which I have found really helps in storing stuff to make sandwiches and snacks. I got them as a special buy and I really do rate them.

A run down of my day is as follows:

4:30am wake up get make up on, get dressed

4:50am give the place a quick tidy up, pack anything that has been left out, make sure V has everything for care including bottles, enough nappies, thermals (as it is winter), singlets

5:20am have breakfast (so early I know but this is my only chance), brush teeth

5:30am be dressed and ready to go, warm bottle up as V wakes up between 5:30am and 6:30am for morning feed

6:00am change V nappy, feed V, change V clothes and nappy

6:00am – 6:45am spend time with V and M before going to work

7:00am drop V off

7:12am leave to go to train station

7:25am on the train

8:00am at work until 5:00pm (first week only as my bosses are super nice to let me go home :) )

5:12 train

6:10pm home time and straight into bathing V and bedtime routine

7:30pm V is asleep, shower time for me and dinner, sterilise V’s bottles and prep formula for the following day.

8:30pm bed

So into day 3 so far and it has been working really well. I have to admit that M has been helping me so much with the before work and after work, especially with making sure I eat dinner and doing all the little things which really helps alot.

When I am at work I use V as my motivation to get my work done and just not fool around and socialise as much. I just want to get home to see him and I know that every dollar I make will go towards saving for a house to grow our little family in the future :) It will be all worth it to see little V run around in a backyard rather than be stuck in our tiny little unit.

To be honest, prior to going back to work I was judged so harshly for going back so early, but I believe that there is too much pressure on mothers to be the perfect mothers and everyone can just be the best they can be.  Every mother has that special bond with their child and they are doing what works for them. Whether this is working in the home or outside the home or both, I think women have not been given enough credit for how much they actually do. 

Since having V I honestly have a new found respect for mothers, being a mummy is bloody hard work and doing it day in day out without a please or a thank you or just that 5 minutes peace or a day off is amazing. You ladies are amazing xx

Wrap It Up!

So whilst V is asleep I feel that one of the most essential baby items should be reviewed - the wrap.  In my opinion you can never have too many wraps, they are great and so versitile. I use my wraps not only for swaddling but also for covering the pram on walks, as an additional cover on top of my baby when he sleeps, as an emergency change mat, you get my drift.

I received a number of muslin wraps as gifts from family and friends which were  from various department stores about 9 I would say.  These wraps, whilst brightly coloured and appeal to the eye, unfortunately, were quite stiff, and after numerous attempts of washing them in the hope they would soften up - it did not happen.

In the end, I have decided to use these wraps for just chucking over the pram when we go for walks.

Having said this, the Dymples flanette wraps are truly a winner in my books and are good for putting over the top of bub at night with him wrapped up in another wrap.

I remember when I was looking at purchasing wraps whilst pregnant I had read a number of reviews about the Aden and Anais wraps and how great they were. I was so hesitant to buy them (at the pricey $10 a wrap) but after reading all the reviews, I thought what the heck, I am going to do this. I bought 8 Aden and Anais wraps.  Let me tell you it is money worth spent.  They are huge and can be used even on the bigger bubs.  V loves being wrapped in them. 

What I love is everytime you wash these bad boys they get softer everytime.  They have wonderful designs and I believe are the perfect present for someone, but they must be taken care of. I wash them in lingerie bags on a soft spin - as they are delicate you do not want to damage them in the wash. I have purchased the Aden and Anais Super Star Fawn Star and the Dreamer wraps.

Whilst they may seem expensive in the short term, I do not think it is a waste of money at all there are other things you can cut back on and buy cheaper stuff but with the wrap I believe it is important to get quality. I also figure, hey, if we try for more kids, they will be passed down and wouldn't go to waste.