Help For Working Moms
In This Article
Some women start worrying about whether to return to work long before their babies are born – and many change their minds several times along the way. "Sometimes you just don't know how you're going to feel until after your baby is born," says Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, author of The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book.
According to Statistics Canada, 66% of mothers in two-parent families (and 46% of single mothers) with children under age three are working–and research by the Canadian Council on Social Development found that working mothers experience high levels of stress and work/family conflict. Here are a few ways to relieve some of that stress so you can find balance, happiness and fulfillment as a working mom:
How to get more help from your partner
If you feel that you have to do all the "mom things" that your own mother did and all the "work things" that everyone else at work does, it can be really difficult – and unrealistic, says Dr. Greenfield. "If you're a working mom, you have to recognize that all the childcare and home responsibilities can't be entirely yours. You have to decide with your partner how you're going to divide things up – and it's a good idea to start talking about this early, even before the baby is born." And if you're a single mom, it's important to prearrange a reliable network of friends, family and support groups in your community to ensure you get all the help you need, she says.
Sometimes it's hard to completely vanquish old stereotypes of the mom as primary caregiver. If you find yourself taking over feeding/bathing/changing because you feel you can do things faster or more efficiently, restrain yourself. "Your partner isn't going to get confident with the kids if you're always there," says Dr. Greenfield. "Helping him get more confident means letting him take some of the responsibility and not breathing down his neck." Balance your family roles by letting him share in all the childcare responsibilities.
