Working Moms- help me prepare

So my maternity leave is coming to an end. I will be returning to my teaching job in February. My DD will be 16 months old when she starts at the sitter.

I need advice on how to deal with my emotions, and how to prepare myself and my DD for this big change. I have been so lucky to be a SAHM for all this time, I am terrified of the change.

DD is rarely with a sitter (I can count on my hands how many times in the past 15 months). She is almost always with Dh or myself.

She will be going to a good friends house for daycare. My friend has a daughter a few months older, and will also have a newborn to care for.

I plan to start bringing her there a little bit at a time to help her adjust. But I can't shake the feeling that I am going to miss so much by not being with her. I am already crying myself to sleep at night. I don't want this to be hard on her. I know it will be hard on me.

If you can offer any advice or suggestions at all on how to make this process easier I would totally appreciate it. I know I am not the first one to go through this, I just don't know if I am strong enough to deal with it. If I could resign from my job and stay home forever I would in a heartbeat.

Thanks for reading!

Re: Working Moms- help me prepare

First off...you are definitely strong enough to handle this...no doubt!!

It's going to sting at first no matter what anyone says, the first day will be heartbreaking and you may even cry on the way to work...but the end of the day will be there before you know it and you will be so excited to see DD! Luckily you're a teacher, so you will be extremely distracted from your emotions...

I think you are doing the best thing by dropping DD off in a transitional stage...this will help BOTH of you tremendously...

I would make a photo album and put pictures of familiar faces in it so the sitter can show them to her...

Try to enjoy your last weeks at home!

Re: Working Moms- help me prepare

Re: Working Moms- help me prepare

Since your DD has been with you so long, I would definitely start bringing her to the sitter for a few hours and then maybe 1-2 days/week before you go back to work FT. It might help ease her separation.

DS#1 started daycare when he was 12 months and I found telling him what was going to happen over the course of the day helped. Telling him that he's going to play with friends, sing songs, take a nap, etc.... I was going to pick him up and then we were going to home.

The first few days were tough, but after a while he didn't even say goodbye to me anymore.

Re: Working Moms- help me prepare

My advice is to look at it from another angle, think about how great your maternity leave was and think about how great it will be to do stuff on your own! Run an errand by yourself, have lunch on your own, be with other adults without kiddy distractions.

If you look at it like that, you won't be thinking about how much you will miss her, but how great it is that she is happy with the sitter, how much she will learn from being with other people and other kids, how much fun she is having.

Throw a different spin on it.

Re: Working Moms- help me prepare

I was going to suggest similar to rachee

I went back when DS was 20ish months and I embraced my alone time...even the time in the car...being able to stop in and run into a store withough unstrapping and strapping was heaven.

today he's 3.5 and I still love that "mommy" yell when I come into his room and the bear hug he gives me.

Re: Working Moms- help me prepare