Going back to work after a traumatic birth might seem impossible, but anyone is capable if they put their mind to it and follow the right advice.
Of course, if you still need some time to recuperate, you could seek a traumatic birth or wrongful birth compensation claim which will give you more time off work to look after yourself and your child. That said, when the time comes to finally get back to the grind, you might need some coping mechanisms to get you through.
In this post, we’re going to share our top tips on getting yourself back to work after a traumatic birth. Take a look…
How Do I Go Back to Work After a Traumatic Birth?
A traumatic birth can be anything from a severe tear to a feeling of powerlessness that resulted in postnatal depression. It can take a long time to get over this but, as soon as you feel like it’s the right time to get back to work, you should give it a try. Some ideas for this include:
1. Try volunteering
If you’re not ready to go back to a busy workplace and be subjected to deadlines, massive workloads, and all the other stress that comes along with it, then you could try volunteering.
Volunteering tends to be low pressure because you’re giving your time away for free and any work you do will be appreciated. You can build up the amount of work you do until you feel ready to go back to your old job, or even decide to try something now.
2. Keep your employer up to date
Whilst you’re not working, it’s a good idea to keep your employer up to date on your progress, even if you don’t yet have a date for when you plan on returning.
Keep communication lines open and let the employer know that returning to work is on your mind but you’re just not ready yet. Once you are, discuss how you’d like to start working again and when.
3. Speak to your doctor
Because you’re returning to work after a traumatic birth, you’ll need to speak to your doctor before you can go back.
Make an appointment with them and they will write a Fit Note that outlines when you can return to work based on your current condition. They might consult with other professionals who are providing you with treatment.
Your employer will probably need a copy of this to follow their sickness and absence policies. Some will even require you to be assessed by their own occupational health service before they let you return to work.
4. Visit your workplace
Once you’ve spoken to your employer and your doctor to agree on a date to return to work, you could organise a visit to your workplace to remind yourself of what it was like. You could even meet up with a few colleagues for a coffee and have an informal chat.
Before the visit, you could email your employer or colleagues asking if they’re happy for you to discuss your traumatic birth with them or provide some information that can be shared with your colleagues. If you’d rather not talk about it all when you return, make sure to include this in the email and say that it would take some pressure off you if people didn’t discuss it with you for a while.
5. Phase in your return to work
Once you’ve decided to actually return to work you can phase it in so it doesn’t feel so daunting. You could start with shorter days or shorter weeks and, if possible, work from home a few days a week.
It’s likely the employer hired someone to take your place whilst you’re on maternity leave, and it might not be as easy as you coming back in and taking your old job back. This is a good thing because it means your job is covered and any work you do to help is a bonus.
Also, try to use this person as a way back into the job. Talk to them about how things have been going, tell them what work you’d like to start off with, and have them help you phase yourself back into the role.
6. Take it slowly
You’ve been through a traumatic birth, so don’t be surprised if you feel exhausted or you’re finding it difficult to concentrate now that you’re back to the grind. The psychological toll a traumatic birth puts you through is likely more than you realise, so try to remember that if you’re ever struggling.
Also, you’ve been out of the game for a while and it takes time to adjust to your old life. Work at whatever pace makes you comfortable and your natural work-ethic will return to you in time.
Should I Consider Going Back to Work After my Traumatic Birth?
In this post, we’ve shared our top tips on getting back to work after going through a traumatic birth.
It might seem impossible to go from where you are now to being a full-time member of a workforce again, but the journey is possible as long as you take the right precautions. Get your doctor’s okay, phase yourself back in, and work at your own pace.
Some of you might not want to return to work at all, would rather dial back your hours or would prefer to change your career entirely. Whatever you decide is right for you just remember to take it slowly and look after yourself.