the beginning of the end

"Working Mom"

The end of my maternity leave is still months away but this week I been forced to think a lot about my return to work (boooo).

Before starting maternity leave I worked full-time, but I would like to go back 4 days a week, with one of my days working from home. This means I have to put in a flexible working application to formally request a change to my working pattern. I have a legal right to request this because I care for a child under the age of 17. And my employer has a legal obligation to consider my request, though they can reject it due to business reasons. 

It can take a while to go through the official steps of applying for flexible working and getting a new employment contract drawn up,  so I put my official written request in on Friday even though I don't want to return until June. 

On Monday I received a panicked email from my boss asking if I can work any days in April and May to help with a busy period. This stressed me out because I don't have any childcare arranged until June and I really want to ensure I can return on a part-time basis before agreeing to anything else. I asked if we can meet face to face to discuss this in detail and we met today.

It felt odd putting my work clothes back on (thank god my pre-pregnancy work trousers still fit!) and it felt even odder leaving Nate for 3 hours. This is the longest I have left him during the day. I didn't know how I would react, but you know what?..it was okay. Oh, I missed him like CRAZY and I kept texting my husband to send photos and I probably thought about him every minute, but...it was okay. And what's even better is I got every request in my flexible working application approved. 

I go back officially on 3rd June and will also do the odd day here and there in April and May to help out with the busy period. I am bummed about maternity leave coming to an end soon - it has gone so soooo fast! But now that I have my official return day, I am just going to have cherish every last minute of this special time I have with Nate.