Four Months Postpartum and Going Back to Work

Four months postpartum is a tricky timeline to be in. Your baby is not a newborn anymore. They are probably rolling, cooing, and smiling.

You might have started to feel a little bit more confident in your role as a mother. Maybe you’ve even formed somewhat of a routine that keeps you sane within the challenges of motherhood.

And just as things begin to make more sense, going back to work becomes a proximal reality.

This transition can be very challenging, as many women are expected to just jump back into their professional responsibilities as if life has not drastically changed forever.

Four months is still postpartum. Which means you are probably still waking up several times at night, your body might still feel different, you are still managing feeds, naps, routines. All these while figuring out the logistics of childcare once you become unavailable. This can add to the mental load that women already carry into their day-to-day lives.

How do you even prepare to go back to work?

You might be feeling all sorts of emotions: possibly anxiety, guilt, sadness, excitement… maybe even some type of relief. Some women experience all of these emotions at the same time.

And that can be confusing.

You can be excited to have adult conversations again and still feel guilty about leaving your baby. You can miss your career and also wish you had more time at home. You can feel relieved to have a part of yourself back while simultaneously wonder if you are truly ready.

Going back to work is not simply returning to the life you had before maternity leave.

You are returning as someone who has gone through a major physical and emotional transition. Your priorities may have changed. Some relationships may have become estranged. Your body may feel different. Even your sense of identity might still be shifting as you figure out how being a mother fits alongside all the other parts of who you are.

So if going back to work feels harder than you thought it would, that does not necessarily mean you aren't ready. And if part of you is excited to go back, that does not make you any less of a mother.

There is room for both.

You are allowed to miss your baby and enjoy being away! You are allowed to love motherhood and miss parts of who you were before it. You are allowed to feel grateful, overwhelmed, excited, sad, and unsure…all at once.

Four months postpartum is still postpartum. You are still adjusting to a version of your life that did not exist a few months ago.

Allow yourself some grace as you settle into this new rhythm