Last reviewed: April 2026
Maternity leave can be a wonderful time to bond with your new baby and adjust to life as a new mother. However, it can also be a challenging time, both financially and emotionally. Many mothers may want or need to continue working during this time to supplement their income or maintain their professional skills. Here are some tips for mums who are considering working while on maternity leave.
Returning to work after maternity leave can have mixed feelings. I know this for sure because my sentiments were quite different after each of my two maternity leaves.
For our first child, I remember crying all the way to the train station. It was nothing, in particular, just the thought of leaving him with anyone, compounded by the guilt at even thinking about heading back to work, leaving my first fruits with complete strangers.
Firstly, congratulations are in order! If it’s your first child you’ll know doubt have a mix of excitement and a ting of nervousness every so often – life is about to change, for the better! If this is not your first child, you know what to expect during the pregnancy and the mix with work, but you’ll no doubt be wondering how to make the room in your life (and purse!) for the addition to the family.
Maternity leave is always a hot topic in the news. With the pressures of work pitted against the importance of new mothers having time to bond with their new-borns, it can seem like an added stress and a recipe for disaster. Some employers take a very positive approach to maternity leave. For example, Netflix recently came out with the introduction of unlimited leave policy for new parents that allows them to take off as much time as they want after having a child.
