Any career-focused people who...

Kind of hate maternity leave?

What I mean is, it's great b/c you get to spend time with your baby (and it's never enough time, obviously) but that you hate how your career has to kind of be put on pause and that you're missing out on info and new things and then when you return, you will feel lost?

I sometimes feel guilty for feeling like this, and I'm not even sure if what I'm trying to convey here is coming across the right way...basically, I love being able to bond at home with the baby, but I feel like I will be missing so much for when I return.

Re: Any career-focused people who...

I was thinking about this the other day. When I'm gone for only a week, I go back to a madhouse and I feel so behind. I can only imagine what it will be like after two months or so off.

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I'm a little worried about how all of the time off will affect my career and the assignments I currently have and will get. I get 18 weeks paid, up to an additional year unpaid. I plan on taking the 18 weeks paid but will probably not take any of the unpaid time just because I'm afraid to be out any longer than I otherwise would be...

Message edited 3/5/2011 10:31:48 PM.

Re: Any career-focused people who...

i sort of understand this. i work for a brand new startup company. we are only a year old. things change rapidly. when im out ONE DAY i get so backlogged with work. right now im the ONLY person in the company who can remotely do my job. i cant imagine what it will be like going back after maternity leave.

all of that being said i absolutely am thankful to have any sort of leave. i care so much more about spending time with my newborn than i do about what ill be missing at work. i wish i had more time

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I am really loooking forward to having time off with my baby but I know I will have a hard time going back. I will miss out on all of the seminars we have and updates so I will be lost when I go back. I am also not looking forward to having people manage my clients. Other manager will throw u under the bus in a second to get ahead and make somone look bad.

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thank goddddddddddd other people feel like how I feel..I wanted to post this for weeks, but figured everyone would think I was nuts.

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I felt this way and when I returned to work after maternity leave I felt like I had just started my job. The work load was slow but after about a month or so I was back into full swing of everything. During my leave I was still working because I took almost 5 months and they let me work from home so I was still involved just not as involved as I was when I was at work. I also went in a day here and there if needed.

You will be surprised how quickly you get back into it and it will be like you never left.

Re: Any career-focused people who...

I feel the same way.

I hate when people ask me about maternity leave. I say I get six weeks and they give me this look of pity. They can keep it. Being home for 6 weeks is going to be torture for me. Luckily, I will have a huge distraction but I am not programmed to be a SAHM or even a part time worker. Not my gig. I have worked so hard to get where I am and I'm not giving it up for anything.

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yes. we may be on trial in one of the big cases i am working on and i will miss the whole thing.
and i feel guilty for feeling this way, but it is what it is.

Re: Any career-focused people who...

I can't wait to be on maternity leave, but at the same time I have an issue with trusting my co-workers with handling my personal accounts. These are accounts that I rely on for commision, so to put them in someone elses hands really makes me nervous.
If I wind up losing one while on leave I know myself and I will question to no end what happened, so I hope it doesn't happen lol.
I may have my company send out a letter to all of my clients letting them know I am on leave and to email or even call my cell if they have an issue and I can take it up with my co-workers so I am still in the loop.

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Going back to work can be very, very stressful if you were used to working at a quick pace and taking care of everything for yourself. I didn't find it difficult to keep up on new information because I get so many newsletters and I am on so many listserves. I did a lot of reading when I was holding my son and I guess I never took a maternity leave where I completely checked out of work. I wish I could have but it was not in the cards for me. I had only one client who felt that my pregnancy negatively impacted her case but it was someone who was looking for a way out of paying my bill anyway. She won her case based on the info I submitted to a Judge but she seems to think that the info just showed up. There were some clients who had emergencies the week after my C-section and I had no choice but to refer them to other people. Still, years later, they recommend me because they know that I made sure they were taken care of. It can be so stressful but you have to balance what is right for your family and what is right for your profession.

Message edited 3/6/2011 1:54:37 PM.

Re: Any career-focused people who...

I'm very controlling when it comes to my work (I teach), so the thought of someone filling in for me is very unsettling. I wrote out a calendar of what to cover when, but it just isn't the same as being there.

I'm worried about it now, but I won't give it another thought when my little one is here....or at least that was how it was with my first maternity leave.

Re: Any career-focused people who...

my current position is so new at my company so I feel you on this...I dont know what will happen when im gone and it scares me.

I am currently training an intern to do my job while im gone and its frustrating to think of what will go on when im gone

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I'm due at the beginning of the school year and I'm freaking out about how things will be set up. I'm wondering how controlling I can/should be and thinking about going in over the summer so that everything is set up how I like. My principal actually said i can try to work out coming in the first day, so this might be possible.


I also worry that my replacement will win over the staff and the staff will like them better (even though I know this is a bit irrational)

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i do.. but I want children, putting the brakes on is needed.. its ok.. we'll all come back better than ever

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