Returning to Work After Maternity Leave: 3 Tips to Make the Transition Easier

Key Takeaways:

• Returning to work after maternity leave is a major transition
  It’s normal to feel overwhelmed—between childcare, work expectations, and emotional adjustment, this period can be challenging.
• Planning ahead (with flexibility) is key
  Even the best plans can fall apart, so it’s important to think through backup options for things like sick days and scheduling conflicts.
• Flexible work should be thought through carefully
  Before requesting changes, make sure your plan actually supports your lifestyle—not just what sounds good on paper.
• Give yourself time before making big decisions
  The first few weeks can feel intense, so allow yourself time (around 3 weeks) to adjust before reassessing your situation

If you’re nearing the end of your maternity leave and losing sleep over how to make the transition back to work easier on you and your family, you’re not alone.

For most parents, this is one of the most stressful and uncertain times in their careers. Maybe your responsibilities at work have shifted. Maybe you’re facing a new manager. Or maybe you’re simply wondering:

“How on earth am I going to get my little one ready for daycare and still make it to work on time?”

The truth is, returning to work after parental leave is a huge transition — but it doesn’t have to feel impossible. As a career coach for working parents and a parental leave expert who has guided over 800 Canadian women (and taken three mat leaves of my own!), I’ve seen what helps most.

Here are my top three tips for navigating your return to work with more ease and confidence.

1. Plan for the Unexpected

It’s tempting to map out the “perfect” plan before your first day back, but the reality of family life rarely follows a neat schedule.

When my partner and I returned to work after our first parental leave, we thought we had it figured out: he would handle daycare drop-offs, I would start early to leave in time for pick-ups. Easy, right?

In reality, daycare fevers, sick days, last-minute meetings, and the stress of juggling responsibilities quickly threw our plan off track.

That’s why it’s so important to plan for contingencies:

• Who will stay home when your child is sick?
• How will you handle drop-offs and pick-ups if one of you can’t?
• Is your start time realistic given daycare hours and commuting?

The more you can anticipate challenges before they happen, the smoother your transition will feel.

2. Be Strategic About Flexible Work Requests

Many parents want (and need) flexibility when they return to work — and there are lots of ways to make it happen. Maybe you’re considering adjusted start times, compressed workweeks, part-time hours, or hybrid arrangements.

But before you put in a formal request, pause to think it through.

• Is working four 10-hour days actually going to feel easier, or will it just leave you more exhausted?
• If you go part-time, will you truly log off — or will guilt push you to work after bedtime anyway?
• Does your proposed schedule actually support your family’s rhythm, or will it add new stress?

Try drafting a few sample weeks to test what different arrangements might feel like. When you present a request that’s well thought out, your employer is far more likely to say yes.

3. Give Yourself Time to Adjust

I call the first few weeks back at work “the thick of it” — because it really can feel overwhelming. There’s the emotional load of leaving your baby, the logistics of new routines, and the pressure of reestablishing yourself at work.

But here’s the good news: it doesn’t last forever.

I always suggest giving yourself three weeks — just 21 days — before making any major changes. This gives you and your family time to adjust before you assess how you’re really feeling about your new normal.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Returning to work after maternity leave is one of the hardest transitions in your career — but you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

In My Parental Leave, you’ll find expert guidance, checklists, and practical tools to help you navigate both the logistics and the emotions of this big change.

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