Obviously, when you have a new baby you need to work less in order to look after your little one. This is not an easy task, but with careful thought and consideration, it is very possible to do both in a way that you and your baby are both satisfied.
If you have a home business, take things slowly and get back into your work only when your baby is a few months old and you are in a routine. Even then, take things slowly and gradually ease yourself back into work by only taking on small jobs in the beginning.
You could also become involved in a job share with a co-worker, with your co-worker working from Monday to Wednesday and you work Wednesday to Friday. This way, when you are at home you can focus on your family, and when you are at work, you can put all your energy into your work.
Another option is to arrange with your employer that you only work a few hours each day. This will allow you to get your child into a comfortable routine. You will be able to get ready together at the same time every morning, drop your child at day care and then go to work. Once you have finished work at around lunchtime, you can pick your child up again, have lunch together and then spend the rest of the afternoon with your child and be there when the rest of your family get home.
You can also arrange to leave work earlier to spend a few hours with your baby before she goes to sleep in the evening. Once your baby has settled down for the night, then you can catch up on more computer work for a few hours.
Then again, if you are in a position where you are able to work from home, spend your daytime with your children, and while you are working in the evenings, your husband can take over from you and be there for the children. This way, your children are having quality time with both you and your husband.
It is also a good idea to put any career goals on hold for a while. You can always work towards that promotion at a later stage. This will prevent you from becoming frustrated - having a baby to look after is a big enough challenge as it is.
It is very important that you find a childcare situation that suits both you and your child. If you are still breastfeeding, then it is a good idea to find a day care that is close to your place of work. You can make an arrangement with your employer that you go to feed your baby every few hours.
Even if you can manage to maintain a balance between working and your baby, there is still a matter of looking after the cleaning of your home. Of course it is not possible for you to do absolutely everything, so it would be a good idea to have a cleaning service come in at certain times. This way, the spare time you do have after work can be spent with your baby rather than cleaning your house.
Proper time management is also very important at this time. Pack the nappy bag, your lunch for work, and anything else that you might need the next day and put it into your car. Get breakfast ready for the next day. With that done, you know that you have those few extra minutes in the morning, should you need them.
The best thing to remember when trying to balance your time between work and family is that during the week, whatever time you have after work, should be kept as quality time to spend with your family. Weekends should be kept for the sole purpose enjoying the time with your husband and children.
