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Going Back to Work

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  Going Back to WorkOctober 1, 2025

  Going back to work is a daunting task after giving birth. Here are tips on smoothing the transition from new mom to working mother.

  Plan your Leave

  Most mothers give birth between their 38th and 41st week of pregnancy. Ask your maternity provider how close to your due date they think you’ll deliver. Plan to go on maternity leave at least one week before, so you can nest. Instead of using vacation days for prenatal appointments, New Yorkers now can use New York State’s 20 hours of Prenatal Sick Leave.

  New York State Paid Prenatal Leave

  Set Your Return Date

  Giving your employer a return date is part of keeping your job security while you are away. It also gives your employer peace of mind. Work with your employer to coordinate coverage. Make sure everyone involved is on the same page.

  Get Email Access

  Stay up to date with happenings at work by getting home access to your work email. Decrease your return-to-work workload by completing paperwork and upkeep tasks at home. Don’t get into responding to staff; this could suck you into working at home for free. Email access is just to keep your work email uncluttered and maintenance paperwork up to date.

  Ask If Your Partner Has Leave

  Your partner’s workplace may offer parental leave, or they may be able to use all of their current leave to take a month or so off. Having a parent home for the first months of an infant’s life can be very beneficial to development. New York State has established Paid Family Leave for Bonding with newborns. Bonding Leave for the Birth of a Child | Paid Family Leave

  Plan Feedings

  Infants should breastfeed for the first six months of life. Even if you’re bottle/formula feeding your baby, table foods shouldn’t be introduced until the fourth month. Planning how your infant will get their milk is imperative. Most employers are required to have protected time and a private space (not a bathroom) for employees to pump breastmilk for up to one year postpartum. Lactating mothers can pump and refrigerate or freeze breastmilk. Never refreeze thawed human milk. Refer to the chart below for how long to store breastmilk.

  Breastmilk StorageDownload

  Milk banking is a life-saving strategy that can help premature infants thrive. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America both provides and accepts screened human milk donations. Donate Extra Breast Milk

  Schedule Childcare

  Whether you’re going with a nanny, au pair, daycare, or a loved one, scheduling childcare for when you’re at work is a must. Finding last minute childcare is stressful and not always possible. Plan ahead. Fortunately, New York State has expanded childcare payments.

  Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) | Division of Child Care Services | Office of Children and Family Services

  Go Low Maintenance

  A two-hour grooming routine will not fit into your schedule now that you have a little one to think about. Go low maintenance with a short haircut, ponytail, bun or curls. Try tinted moisturizer instead of a full-face of make-up. Walk faster (and more comfortably) in flats, sneakers, or kitten-heels instead of stilettos.

  References

  • How to Tell When Labor Begins | ACOG
  • New York State Paid Family Leave
  • Infant development: Birth to 3 months – Mayo Clinic
  • Positive Parenting Tips: Infants (0–1 years) | Child Development | CDC
  • Paid Family Leave for Bonding | Paid Family Leave
  • FLSA Protections to Pump at Work | U.S. Department of Labor
  • Time and Place to Pump at Work: Your Rights | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • Breast Milk Storage and Preparation | Breastfeeding | CDC
  • NEC and Baby Formula | Risks, Symptoms and Lawsuits Explained
  • Human Milk Banking Association of North America
  • The Impact of Human Milk on Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – PMC
  • Developing global guidance on human milk banking – PMC
  • New York: Resources for Families | Childcare.gov