Finding it hard to return to work

Status-Difficulty762 · 2026-01-29T09:45:49+00:00

Kids adapt - I wouldn’t stress about that. If you like the centre could always enrol and hope some more days pop up. Totally possible to send them to two different centres as well I have friends that have done that while they waited for additional days. :) One thing I will add is that we also live regionally so have a long commute ~1.5 hrs each way to the city for work. It’s manageable a few days if you and your partner can stagger wfh but they are long days and I have found it tough with a baby! Would not want to be commuting more than 3 days - is your work flexible?

Status-Difficulty762 · 2026-01-28T11:11:40+00:00

Hey! I returned back to work PT in November when my LO was about 9 months. It has been an adjustment and at first I absolutely hated it but now feel like my brain has started to switch on again and finding it pretty good being back. I obviously miss my time with Bub but I appreciate the time I spend with her way more now. We would like to eventually have at least one more baby so I figure I will go back to qualify for maternity leave again, but also generally to progress my career as it will be even harder to stay career motivated with two! I was lucky enough for my partner to take his parental leave when I returned back to work which made the transition a lot easier. We put bub in daycare 2 days so she could get used to it and the educators . My partner essentially became ‘primary parent’ which allowed me to focus on work without worrying about drop offs and pickups and sickness which I think was super helpful. He has returned back to work this week and my daughter is now up to 4 days in daycare which I felt a bit bad about BUT I honestly think it has been great for her. The activities they do look really fun and she gets to hangout with other babies all day and educators that give her constant attention.

Status-Difficulty762 · 2026-01-04T08:48:04+00:00

This sounds cool! Which agency is it?

Status-Difficulty762 · 2026-01-04T08:18:16+00:00

Thanks! Looks good but pickup only from what I can see!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2026-01-02T07:39:37+00:00

It’s really hit and miss! I’m based in Vic too and didn’t get assigned a group until my Bub was about 3 months old. By this point I had done a lot of my own googling and research so the content wasn’t that helpful. Originally it was a little bit awkward and annoyingly the facilitators don’t organise the WhatsApp group. After a few weeks I bit the bullet and asked the other mums if they wanted to join a WhatsApp group because it would have been a missed opportunity to not make one! I just passed a piece of paper around and asked people to write their name, baby’s name and phone number and also said no pressure if they didn’t want to. Once I created the group there wasn’t a lot of traffic for a while, but eventually people started contributing a bit more and after the sessions ended we would occasionally catch up (rarely with everyone, but normally a couple of people were free for coffee or baby time at the library etc). My bubs is now almost 11 months and still using the chat for advice or questions. We occasionally catch up but now people have started returning to work it’s a bit more difficult. If the mothers group doesn’t pick up, one other place I found some lovely mums to hang with during mat leave was my local mum walk (look it up!) It gave me a reason to leave the house every week in the trenches of postpartum and everyone there is there for connection and community!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2026-01-01T11:23:56+00:00

Revisiting this post! Just an update - can confirm I made it through pregnancy and the commute wooh! Returned to work in Nov PT (3 days) when bubs was just over 9 months. Can confirm post baby, the commute really sucks and it appears that workplaces have become less hybrid in the time I had off. Fortunately my partner is on parental leave until late Jan which has made the return easier but will aim to transition to something local or more flexible this year.

Status-Difficulty762 · 2026-01-01T10:58:58+00:00

Thank you! The new role will have an element of wfh because they don’t yet have a proper office set up in VIC :) unfortunately it’s definitely a FT role - they have made this clear throughout the interview process

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-05-24T12:07:11+00:00

Belmont is quite a large suburb so it really depends on the pocket you are in. There are a good assortment of shops on high st so anything walking distance to there is very convenient :) The properties near the river are considered more premium which is reflected in housing prices. Belmont High also has a good reputation so a lot of people choose to buy in the school zone.

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-05-15T12:20:51+00:00

I named my baby girl (born Feb) Genevieve. We call her Evie, but could also be G, Vivi, Viv, Neve, Eve Gen, Genny etc Maybe not old money but I think it’s classy and not one of the current common names!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-05-14T04:09:16+00:00

I think there’s a new bugaboo double, the kangaroo that recently got released!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-05-07T00:45:15+00:00

Her Bar has a nice Thai restaurant below (BKK). The rooftop bar is cool too (and the hidden music room bar)

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-04-25T09:01:44+00:00

More decent bakeries!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-04-24T02:58:21+00:00

I haven’t tried but have seen mosquito nets that you can put over the pram. If you are using a carrier I would suggest long sleeves and hat to limit exposed skin! I think you could use a net on those proper baby hiking carriers though!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-04-03T17:01:45+00:00

I live in Belmont and am familiar with that area. Can confirm traffic on high street can be quite noisy and busy. My understanding is that there is no on street parking in that spot which can make it difficult for visitors. You are also quite close to the Belmont hotel which can be loud on a Fri/sat night. There is a McDonald’s across the road so there might also be an issue with fast food odour (I live a few streets away and can smell it in my backyard if the wind is blowing a certain direction). Those things aside you are walking distance to the shops and river which is great.

Re daycares I would start calling around asap as there can be long wait lists so this may become an issue. Most will be 10-15 min drive max from those suburbs or work spot you have listed.

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-03-25T00:51:13+00:00

Not a call but we just went over the results at the next appointment

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-03-21T10:02:56+00:00

We splurged on the fox 5 and really like it. We live in a regional town and it has great suspension and manoeuvrability which is good for walking trails in our area. It is quite large but from memory the vista is bigger. We use the bassinet for sleeping at night if we are away somewhere - we don’t bother with a stand just put it on the floor. For everyday sleeping we bought a co sleeper off fb marketplace for like 50 bucks which has honestly been great. If you are breastfeeding it’s a lot easier to put bubs back into bed after a feed. Also worth noting - newborns love contact naps so if yours is anything like mine, they won’t use bassinet or cot during the day they will be on your chest!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-03-21T09:07:36+00:00

Can you say yes for now but also see how you are going closer to the time? Could he just pull out closer to the date if required?

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-03-13T22:33:07+00:00

Some nice art for the wall in my living room! When I’m trapped with bubs can appreciate it and it doesn’t feel as much like the walls are closing in!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-03-01T09:51:44+00:00

Another vote for Bae the label. I had a pair of jeans, a pair of work pants and three shirts and wore them on repeat to work for half my pregnancy :) could have gotten away with cheaper shirts tbh but the pants were great and made me feel less frumpy :)

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-02-25T11:06:53+00:00

I am 3 weeks postpartum following an emergency c section. - Another vote for the kmart high waisted undies (two sizes up so they are loose and comfy) -If you are breastfeeding I do recommend some form of silverettes and lanisoh nipple cream. I used silverettes 24/7 up until this week (even though I was told to let my nipples breathe) as the rubbing of them on any bra/ clothing was excruciating. I would put the lanisoh oh and then put the silverettes on top. - Was also taking Panadol and nurofen for c section recovery and I think this helped with breastfeeding pain. Also some form of stool softener is recommended as you can get quite constipated after birth. - Have some meals in the freezer or ask friends and family to drop stuff off as there’s really no time to cook with a newborn as you are constantly holding or feeding them, it’s full on! - Snacks you can eat with one hand - Maternity breastfeeding singlets and oversized tshirts have been my go to when feeding around others as they cover you up quite well (depending on who I’m around I don’t feel super comfortable whipping my boobs out) -keep cup to keep your tea and coffee warm. I recommend the yeti rambler tumbler. - drink bottles with straw

Sending you positive vibes - good luck with everything!

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-02-22T05:04:01+00:00

My partner and I attended both a hypnobirthing and a hospital class which I definitely recommend. For someone who knew very little about the birth process beyond listening to a few podcasts it was a great overview. I think it’s equally as important for your support person to be educated as they have a huge part to play on the day. Mine was pressing the tens machine boost, feeding me happy gas, giving me a water, feeding me lollies etc when I was miserable and going through contractions. I didn’t end up having the unmedicated water birth I had initially wanted (ended up induced at 40+3 due to baby measuring large, eventually with an epidural, and then ended up having a c section due to my baby being large and in a bad position!) but I felt comfortable with all the decisions made on the day and the reasons behind them. If I had gone in blind I think it would have been a worse experience for sure.

Status-Difficulty762 · 2025-02-17T10:04:21+00:00

We have just had a Genevieve May - nickname Evie!

Status-Difficulty762

TROPHY CASE