*This is a guest post*

We are living in a time when both parents have to work to support themselves, their children and their homes. When one parent is out of work, it can burden the family financially and cause major problems when it comes to affording bills and other expenses. If you recently had your first child, you’ve probably been out of work for some time to go through this miraculous process. Unfortunately, it may be coming time for you to re-enter the workforce simply because you will no longer be receiving compensation while home with your new baby.

How to Adjust to Being a Mother and Going Back to Work

Before, you probably just got up in the morning and went to work without giving it a second thought. Now that you have a baby, there are a few things that you need to consider before you head out the door. One thing is who will take care of the baby while you are gone. If you have a relative or friend who can watch the child, this will help you to save a tremendous amount of money. If you need to put the baby in a daycare setting, you should weigh the costs of the daycare with your income to see if it is even worth it.

Believe it or not, many new mothers are finding that whatever they make at work is just barely paying for the cost of daycare. It might be more financially and ethically responsible of you to simply find a different method of daycare or to stay home with the baby if daycare costs are too expensive. The choice is entirely up to you, but it definitely is something that you’ll want to keep in mind if your only option is to put the baby into a daycare system.

Balancing Motherhood with a Career

Balancing motherhood with your career might seem like a difficult or almost impossible task, but it can be done. When you’re at work, try to focus solely on what you are doing and leave home matters at home. This will help you to feel more secure in your career as well as to ensure that your work gets done more professionally. While this is probably easier said than done, it is highly beneficial to you if you leave work at work and home matters at home.

If you have a job that allows it, you might even want to consider spending certain days during the week working from home. This will help you to balance both your family life and your career within the same setting. This is also an option for you if you are having difficulties paying for daycare services. While many women do not have jobs that allow them to work from home, this is an option that is available to you and something to discuss with your employer in the future. Finally, if you have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time you may need to undertake some formal training in order to update your skill set. Numerous accredited training providers, such as hba learning exist and are a great way to increase your employment prospects.

Being a new mother and having a career can be difficult, but these two things combined make for one fulfilled life.