More than half of mothers dread going back to work after giving birth, according to a new study.
New research by OnePoll asked 1,000 mothers about their worries from break feeding to finding the right work and life balance after leaving work, finding that 51% worried about being a working mom.
While out on maternity leave, mothers worried if they’d have the energy to apply themselves to work and their new role as a mother. Forty-percent said they felt they would get too tired to do their job properly while 82% reported being concerned about maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
More than a quarter of working moms worried about how they would be treated when returning to work. Over a third said they felt like their role has changed since leaving and were also worried by the overturn in colleagues in the office.
Other post-maternity leave worries included feeling overwhelmed (39%), feeling intimidated (30%), or making mistakes in their work (23%).
Top 10 working mom worries
- Being too tired to work 40%
- Leaking in my work clothes 39%
- My job/role had changed while I was gone 37%
- Not fitting into my office clothes 35%
- New processes 35%
- Change of colleagues 34%
- How people would treat me 29%
- Not being able to pump in the office 28%
- Not having appropriate clothes for pumping 26%
- People judging me for the way I look 24%
Top 5 post-maternity leave experience concerns
- Worry about work/life balance 46%
- Feeling overwhelmed 39%
- Feeling intimidated 30%
- Having milk leakage through my clothes 29%
- Making mistakes in my work 23%
Top 5 working mom concerns
- Missing special moments 55%
- If the baby was being fed properly 53%
- If the baby was safe 52%
- If the baby was crying 47%
- Feeling guilty of being away from baby 47%
Originally published on The Ladders.
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