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Originally posted by SEC_Chick
With the impending conclusion of my maternity leave, I am preparing myself to put the Chicklet in daycare 3.5-4 days per week. I have the utmost confidence in the facility, it is only about 6-8 blocks or so from work, and I am certain that she will be fine. I, however, am already a wreck every time I think about it. Does anyone who has been through this have any advice about how to deal practically and emotionally?
I am still BFing, and have worked out that I will have to pump 3x per day to get enough for the next day. Mothers frequently come to the facility to BF at lunch and I haven't yet decided how often I am going to avail myself of that.
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Emotionally, the anticipation is worse than the reality. You will not be a wreck when you actually do it. You may get verklempt or even cry, but you'll be surprised how quickly you adjust to being at work/not being at home.* You will also be comforted when you see the baby bond with her primary caregiver at the facility. It's hard to imagine now, but assuming the caregivers are loving, the baby will actually enjoy being cared for by others (this is not to suggest she will prefer it to being with you all day, just that it will be an enjoyable experience for her). She will probably find day care more enjoyable than you find work.
Practically, the reality may be worse than the anticipation. It's hard getting out the door in the morning and you will always feel very pressed for time. It all sounds obvious, but do what you can to have things pre-arranged -- stuff to take to day care, notes for the day care providers, what she's going to wear, what you're going to wear, your personal bag, etc. Also, think in advance about what you'll have for dinner each night your first week back.
I hate pumping and it's way too much work to pump enough in one day to provide completely for the next, so I try to BF during the day twice and send a bottle or two to cover the gap. My center is much closer than yours, so the only problem with this is timing -- sometimes she's sleeping when I go, or I turn up just before she might have been ready for a nap and she gets all charged up again just seeing me. So, visiting is better for my production and her nutrition, but it can be a bit disruptive to her schedule. I hate messing with her naps because it's hard enough for her to sleep there with all the activity, and the better she naps, the better she sleeps at night.
And of course, this is also obvious, but don't worry about planning out any routine. Once you feel your way to something that works and know it well enough to write it down, you'll adjust it anyway.
*This "adjustment" makes me think of that allegory about the frog swimming in the water that keeps getting warmer until it's boiling and he doesn't realize it before he becomes soup.
