So you’ve done it. For nearly a year you’ve kept yourself and your baby alive, fed and sometimes clean. Congratulations!!! You can officially throw yourself a party, but let’s face it, you’re probably too busy planning your baby’s first birthday party. So we can just pretend that it’s your party too. Your, “I survived the first year of motherhood party!”

For many of us, baby’s nearing first birthday also means that we are nearing going back to work. For some of us we go back just before their first birthdays, and others are able to finagle an extra week or two so that they can take the time to plan said birthday party. 

Anyway, the thought of going back to work can feel a little overwhelming at times. It may feel exciting, while also making you kind of sad that you’re not going to be home all day with your sweet girl anymore. It also may fill you with joy as you imagine yourself sitting and enjoying lunch and then not having to get on the floor to pick most of it up. That sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?

Presently your life involves spending all day with a mini version of an intoxicated adult/puppy dog, AKA a baby. Because of this, going back to work will be a major culture shock for you. Once you’re back to work, you’re going to be surrounded by people again who can carry on 3 word sentences and probably don’t put everything they find on the floor in their mouths. Probably. What’s that all about?

And since you’re going to be submerged into a new world, there are things that you can do to help get yourself ready:

1. Get up-to-date on current events and find out what people are watching that isn’t Sesame Street or Beat Bugs. You know, adult content. No, not porn. Anyway, if you’ do this you may have something to contribute to the conversation that isn’t “one time her poop went up her back, down her leg and on the floor.”
2. Go buy some new clothes. But know this, it’s super intimidating to go shopping for new work clothes when you’ve been in your comfy “mom” wardrobe for a year. How are you supposed to know what’s trendy?
3. Look up fashion bloggers. And then, well, buy whatever you want. Who cares if it’s not trendy anymore.
4. Trade in your cozy-at-home leggings for work leggings. You know, leggings that don’t have athletic symbols on them. Who wants to wear zippers anyway?
5. Watch the news the week before you go back so you have a general understanding of what’s going on the world.
6. Remind yourself that if a colleague has food on their face, it’s not up to you to wipe if off. 
7. Practice going for a walk without describing what you see. If you’re walking by yourself down a major city street while saying “that’s a skyscraper.” “oh look, there’s vomit from last nights bar scene” or “yes baby girl, that man is yelling at the stop sign” and someone that you know walks by, they may or may not think you’ve lost it. 
8. Remember to keep your boobs in your shirt. Unless you work somewhere where your boobs are supposed to be out of course.
9. Get your old clothes (the ones that still fit anyway) dry-cleaned. 
10. Practice your new getting ready routine as you’re going to have to get up an hour earlier so you can make it work on time. 
11. Meet another mom friend for a coffee and try to not talk about your baby for a full 20 minutes. I know it’s going to be hard, but at work you can’t talk about your wee one all day. You can think about them though. Thank god. And sneak peaks at pictures of them.
12. Leave your baby (in the care of a loved one obviously) for several hours at a time so that they and you can get used to you not being there 24/7.
13. Have a cry.
14. Get excited.
15. Stop feeling guilty about being excited.

Going back to work is a new and exciting and scary life change. You know, because you haven’t been through enough of those in the last couple of years. However, know that you can do it. It will probably be hard at first, but if you’re like me and you’re born to follow your professional dreams, it will be 100% worth it, 100% life changing and will 100% help develop you as a person and a mother.