Mother going back to work after maternity leave.  

lucky you your wife feels bad leaving your child for work. i have known someone who is relieved when she came back to work. your wife is a good mom, it is but natural to feel that way. if she is at work who is with the baby? if you are with the baby make her feel that you will do everything to keep the baby safe and full of love. promise that you will let her know if something good or bad happens. just promise that the baby will be safe no matter what.

When I first went back to work after having my first child, I hated it. Due to restrictions from my employer I was only allowed six weeks of maternity leave. Thankfully, it did get easier after a couple of weeks and in time I actually looked forward to going to work. It was a chance for me to take a break from the constant demands of having a baby and to actually get some adult conversation. Just be as supportive of your wife as you can, and let her know that other moms have done it and it will get easier over time. Good luck!!

I went back to wrok after my son was 6 month old.But i can went back to see him in the middle of the wrok time.Cuz my office is very near to my house.So i didn't feel any hard at that time.
Do u mean your wife must leave your daughter for a whole day?Can not she go back home at noon?If she can not,i think it is very hard.
But things will turn good.As time goes on,especially after your daughter is one yr old.Situation will change.And there must be some weeks to adapt to a new situation.

It may help your wife to carry pictures of your baby with her and look at them often during her day.....this helped me. Ater a few weeks, it just becomes routine once you get used to it. If it doesn't get easier in a few weeks and you can afford it, maybe your wife could find a different job that would allow her to stay home with your child? Say, something like taking care of other people's children at your house while they are at work?

i hated when i went back to work. it always broke my heart when i left him at home and i was on my way to work. i could hear him from outside screaming his head off. i knew he was in good hands, he was with his grandma, but it would always make me get tears in my eyes to hear him cry for me like that. for me, it never got easier. i only went back to work for about 2 months and then i quit again. i know he has to get used to not being around me all day, but i figure there is tons of time for that to happen. right now i am enjoying all of my time with him. when he gets older, and understands that i will be coming home, then i will go back to work.

I am not sure how to make her feel better. Seems like she could share the excitement with the babe. Telling her that Mommy is working with others like her and that there will be a paycheck which means Mommy can buy more toys. books, etc. This can be a good thing in your life, so why not portray it as such. Acting can eventually make it real. Good luck with this. I stayed at home and homeschooled for 12 years and went to work part time when they were older.

It does get easier when you know your child is in good hands. You'll still miss them, but eventually it eases a bit and you're able to concentrate on your work better. I feel for her, since I remember that feeling!

It's hard to leave your child to go back to work, especially if you weren't in a position to have a babysitter / child minder on a fairly regular basis beforehand. I know some mothers who have set up a once per week babysitting day so that both they and their child could start adjusting to the separation.

It's true what your wife has heard and what others here are saying -- it does get easier. I think most of us working mothers have what I call "mother guilt" for pretty much everything... but we learn to live with it and recognize it for what it is :) We might like to be home full-time but for a multitude of reasons, we simply can't. Plus, we'll always find something to feel guilty about, where our kids are concerned LOL ;)

It might help your wife to keep in perspective, too, that most children cry (or try to pitch a fit) when they are first left with either a sitter or at a nursery... but, as soon as the parent is out of sight, they are absolutely fine. Your daughter will learn some nice skills, being with other children. Socialization is a good thing, especially in a home where there is just the one child. My girls were cared for by my mother when I was at work but she made it a point to take them out every day so they could be with other kids at the parks and such. They were always happy and excited with their outings. As much as your wife is feeling upset, I bet your daughter is having fun with her new little playmates. Best of luck to all of you as you settle into this new stage for your family :)

Hi there Rhino
Yes it does honest I went through it twice. There is no way of easing it for her or to advise how to cope with it as she will miss the Baby but as time goes by it will be easier and she will be in a routine of it all
Hugs to you both

I was a single mother when I had my first baby. In Canada, at that time, we got six months off work (now we get a year). I took my baby to a home daycare. I obviously pre-interviewed the woman in her home and saw her interaction with the children. She was a very soft-spoken, loving woman. But that first day of work, I dropped my baby off and I don't remember having a problem. It was when I got to work, went into the lunchroom to get myself a cup of tea and then started crying. I hated leaving my baby in someone else's care.

The upside was that I was delighted to see my daughter at the end of the day. She was such a joy and I would bring her home and we would lie on my bed and play for a half hour or so until I started preparing dinner. I enjoyed that time with her. Absence makes the heart grow fonder applies to children too.

I remember my first weekend away from my daughter. She was two years old. The first night I could do nothing but think of her. I even phoned my parents to see how she was. It was ridiculous really. But when I walked in the door at the end of the weekend my heart was filled with such joy. She looked like she had grown so much (I was gone two nights) and she hugged me for the longest time.

Tell your wife that as hard as those times away from her child are, the more enjoyable their time together will be.