Hellobee Boards

Hugs! A few things really helped. I got hot coffee every morning and savored going to the bathroom (2 years in it is still a highlight). I'm not sure your job, but I was able to set up a flexible schedule where I finished my work at home after LO went to bed. It works out better for both of us. Lastly, if you pump, know it sucks and can be so stressful. Don't let your self worth be dictated by the number of ounces you produce. Any milk is great and there's plenty of ways we can help you if you need it.

She is so adorable! I love my job but hated going back at 14w, the baby was just so young and I ached thinking about him being stuck at daycare all day. The positive thing about starting them that little is that it's typically much easier *for them* than starting at say, 8 months when they only know you and no one else. Our kid now LOVES daycare, so it doesn't hurt as much knowing that he's happy and stimulated all day. I thought it was incredibly hard doing night feedings and going to work the next day, I felt like a zombie and there was just no relief until we sleep trained (and it took months for me to catch up on sleep even then). To my surprise I didn't think pumping at work was that bad; I did twice a day for 20 minutes and it was nice to zone out a little.

@crazydoglady: totally, prepping the night before is key. If I'm really on top of things I'll even lay out my outfit/coat/shoes for the next day and set up the coffee pot.

Good luck!! Been there twice and it's TOUGH! But you will get through and it will get easier.

For me, the first day was the worst and then it got easier from there. It's totally normal to be upset dropping off your baby the first time. It was also hard for me to juggle work and home for a while too. I felt like neither of them were getting my full attention, and I was just doing the minimum to get by at each one. That got better over time too, although I can't think of anything specific that made it better. I think it was just getting used to a new normal where I can't always stay late at work to finish a project or I can't do everything at home either.

Definitely get help with all the washing and packing of bottles, clothes, etc that you need to take to daycare. There's so much to prep each day when they're little.

You will do great! With my first I was a nervous wreck too, so DH offered to stay home to take care of DD1 on my first day back and that helped me feel much better. Then I think I was so consumed with work and pumping logistics that I didn't spend too much time missing my baby

@snarkybiochemist: I cried my first day, too, but it really does get easier. My son is 17 months old now, and he's happy at daycare and I honestly love being a working mom. You'll get into the swing of things, there's just an adjustment period. Sounds like you're doing great, though.

Side note: The thing I hated about pumping was washing all the parts. I found a special dishwasher thing to hold all the tiny bottle parts (Dr. Brown's bottles = five billion parts) and that was so much better than handwashing.

@snarkybiochemist: I would def do what you can to reduce the number of bottles you need to wash, so if you have to buy more and an adapter, so be it! Like @MrsSCB: I hated having to do all the bottle and pump part washing every day (and we didn't have a dishwasher at the time!) so this time I will definitely invest in more bottles and parts so I can just put them all in the dishwasher as much as possible.

@snarkybiochemist: How are you feeling? Did daycare go well for your daughter?

My girl has a good first day at daycare, I am relieved. My day was really good too, apart from a student asking if I was pregnant again already (belly). Burn.