What was the first day like?

[Katie8681]

My son is 5 months old and I'm going to the office of the job I'm starting as a kind of "test run" next week. I won't be starting officially until Feb. I'll be gone for 8 hours and DS will be with the same babysitter he's had for a few hours every week, who is excellent and who my son absolutely adores. DS breastfeeds but takes the very occasional bottle of expressed milk. 

So I'm really nervous. The longest I've ever left him is 3 hours, and that has not been traumatic for either of us, but a whole day   I would really like to hear some stories from you moms who have BTDT, I just am not sure what to expect. 

[Anna Phor]

For my first week back at work, I started on a Tuesday and did 3 half days then a full day. My husband was on leave so it was very comforting that he was the caregiver.

Could you do a half day where you have the babysitter over while you go out and run errands/have lunch/have a day off? That gives you a low-stress practice run-through; babysitter can call you any time and you could shoot home, and it also gives you some down time, which I'm guessing is sorely needed with a 5 mo!

[vanessamonaghan]

Leaving your baby for the first time is very stressful, however, it sounds like you've got the best possible care arrangement in place. I went back to work when my son was six months old and it was much harder on me than on him :) All the best for your trial run day.

[Katie8681]

Thanks, ladies!  It was actually _great_. DS handled it with only minor grumpiness, and as for me, by the time I left I was definitely ready to be with him again, but I had a good time at the office. Other adults, higher level thinking, ahhhh! The only thing was I felt too inhibited to go pump and I forgot to drink water. Not good for maintaining milk supply! I just have to think of it like being pregnant. I am not a machine.

[cat13]

Glad to hear your trial-run went well! My only advice is to be very strict about your pumping schedule, or you might end up missing pumps too often. I prefer to schedule it into my day, so I don't schedule any meetings at pumping time. Many women (mothers especially) find it difficult to carve out time for "themselves" throughout the day, so try thinking of it as something you are doing for your son each time... because that's what it really is.  Whenever I find myself considering skipping a pumping session to do work, I try to tell myself that I wouldn't skip a feed for my son just because I was busy if I were at home, and it helps me stay strong. Good luck going back to work!