Covid-19, and the lockdown which followed, has impacted working mums considerably. Closure of schools and childcare facilities has meant that parents needed to be home during the working day to look after them, and this responsibility has fallen most heavily on mums.

A survey of nearly 20,000 mothers and pregnant women carried out last year showed that 72% of working mothers have had to work fewer hours in the lockdown period because of childcare issues.

As 81% of working mums report needing childcare in order to be able to work, lack of childcare facilities and the lack of flexible working hours for many, has had a huge impact. As lockdown restrictions ease, school and childcare accessibility should improve (although this will be of limited immediate benefit to the number of mums who have been made redundant during the period).

​​It is reported that 44% of UK HR professionals admit to feeling challenged by requests for flexible working and struggle to meet them. Frequently this is because the business itself has not been persuaded of the benefits. Perhaps one positive outcome of the lockdown has been the demonstration that flexible working is viable and can be beneficial to working mums and employers alike.

​For details on our maternity coaching programmes do get in touch - email enquiries@managingchange.org.uk or call us on 01223 655667 or find further details here.

Preparing for the return to work after the birth of your baby is often focused exclusively on your job and wider family needs. Paying attention to your personal needs and well-being often is overlooked. 

Preparations involving other people, and especially small people, have a habit of not always going as we'd like them to. It can be hard and stressful to get babies and small children out of the house in the morning (washed, fed and dressed) and into nursery on time so that you can catch the train. The same applies when you know you need to leave on time to go home but you're feeling bad about leaving before your colleagues, or one of them is being demanding. Many new parents quickly find themselves into a kind of relentless eat, sleep, work, repeat cycle when juggling work and small children. So this is where it's important to keep your plans and expectations under review and ensure that your personal needs are also being met.

Ask yourself: 

• Am I expecting too much of myself, my baby or my partner at this stage?
• Am I being sufficiently firm/flexible/assertive (as appropriate) with work?
• Am I placing unreasonable demands on my partner? Is s/he placing unreasonable demands on me?
• Am I getting enough rest and relaxation to maintain my health and well-being?
• Am I getting enough space and time to give my baby the attention s/he and I need?
• Is this arrangement working well enough for us as a family? If not, what needs to change?

In our ongoing maternity leave survey we have gathered lots of excellent advice and information from mums about their parental leave and going back to work. (We'd love your advice and thoughts too - see here for the short survey). Their responses are overwhelmingly consistent:

1. Take care of yourself - don't worry about being super mum/housewife/partner/employee. In other words - good enough is good enough.

2. Manage your work-life balance boundaries - set these clearly and firmly from the beginning of your leave period and on the return to work, and stick to them.

3. Maintain your self-confidence - keep mindful of who you are, what you do and the value you add.

To achieve these you need to take consistent, planned action.  

Your plan should include the what, when, how and who questions, for example:

• how your baby's care needs will be consistently and well met
• what will happen when your baby is unwell or otherwise unable to go to nursery/day care
• how domestic and family activities and chores will be carried out, when, and by whom
• how you will ensure rest and relaxation time with your family, partner and friends gets the space and time it needs

Keeping arrangements under review enables you to be flexible in making changes when required. Remember that babies aren't babies for long, they change and develop very quickly. Just as time at each stage is special and fleeting, so their demands on you change as their capabilities grow. If times are difficult remember, "this too will pass".

​Periodically, take a wider view and "check in" with yourself - is this working/living arrangement working for you and your family? Does it need amending to ensure that you are all happy and fulfilled?

Our parental leave coaching programmes provide structured support and development for mums and dads about to go on parental leave. To discuss how we can support parents-to-be in your organisation, get in touch - enquiries@managingchange.org.uk or call 01223 655667. 

It's 7:30am, your household is busy with everyone getting ready for work and school when your five year old suddenly announces that he doesn't feel well and is promptly sick. He can't go to school today...

It's mid-morning, you're covering a client meeting for a colleague who's on holiday when the nursery calls to say your daughter has fallen off the slide and banged her head. She needs to be collected now...

These are familiar scenarios to many working parents and dreaded ones for others. In most cases it is still usually mum who will step in. Two-thirds of working mums and mums-to-be are concerned about what they would do if their child was ill. In our survey (Being a Mum and Having a Career WIKI/WILTKI) concerns around such situations were mentioned by over 60% of mums.