Going back to work - pls tell me I can do this!

[JordanKX]

I'm heading back to work, and am just terrified, saddened, heart-broken. Sigh.

DS is almost a year old. I've been putting it off... I'm in graduate school so I was hoping to wait til I graduated (next April). But our financial situation NEEDS me to go back to work now. I can't delay any more.

I LOVE being a SAHM/student. I've never really had an issue with being with him all day - we just play and play and play. Giving this up will be just yucky horrible... but I'll do it. And I'll be fine. And he'll be fine. I know this in my head.

But it's just so sad. Any BTDT advice on getting through this initial sadness? How did you handle the first week?

[AnnaNova]

i'm not quite sure where to start... i think everyone in this part of the forum has been where you are right now. It's hard. no matter how old they are, 12 weeks, 4 months (is how old my son was when i started working), one year, 2 years... it's a change of routine, a change of lifestyle to a degree, and it will be stressful for all involved.
Just know that it's ok to cry if you feel like it, it's ok to cuddle and hug him and kiss him more than you normally would,
There are a lot of different factors that play into how soon your sadness will go away. Do you think you will enjoy your work? Is your son gonna be with a caregiver you trust? Are his needs going to be met? and so on...
from my personal experience, my son's bonding with his other caregivers made it easier for me to work, not harder as one might think. i'm convinced he's taken care of, loved, hugged, etc.
on the other hand, i dont really love my job, just helping to pay the bills, so it makes it harder to be away from my son...
sometimes i get so cought up in the emotions, i lose the sight of the "big picture". i try to remind myself why im doing what im doing every day... so my son could have a home and a safe neighborhood, so i could go to school and we all could have a brighter future, so we had enough food and warm clothes ... everyone's reasons are different, but it's important to remember them...
i like to remind myself that if i were a stay at home mom, there wouldn't be a home to stay at...
good luck at your new job, and remember that nothing is a dead end road, things can always be re-evaluated, schedules and jobs changed... sending good thoughts your way