I remember returning to work after maternity leave and feeling like I was stepping back into my old life, except I wasn’t quite the same person who had left it.
I remember that transition being such a mix of emotions. Excited to have a little piece of myself back. Nervous about how we were going to make the new routine work. Mum guilt creeping in. And the slightly strange feeling of stepping back into your old world when you don’t quite feel like the same person who left it.
Because you’re not.
Motherhood changes you. And going back to work isn’t really about getting “back” to who you were before. It’s about figuring out how all these new parts of your life fit together now 🤍
Finding a New Rhythm
The biggest thing I learnt? Don’t expect the old routine to work for your new life.
There are daycare drop-offs now. Bags to pack. Tiny people who somehow sense when you’re running late and choose that exact moment to need an outfit change 😅
Anything you can do to make mornings easier is worth it. Pack the night before. Give yourself more time than you think you need. Have a backup plan for daycare sick days.
And most importantly, give yourself a little grace while you figure it all out.
You don't need to have the working-mum juggle perfected in week one.
Making Space for You Again
One thing I wasn't quite prepared for was how nice it felt to have things that were mine again.
A work bag. A coffee on the way in. Adult conversations. A reason to get dressed in something other than activewear 😂
It’s actually something that has influenced the way we think about products at HuddoCo.
Babies grow. The nappy bag eventually gets packed away. But Mum still needs something that works for her.
That’s exactly where our Crossbody Bag comes in.
It’s that “beyond baby” bag. Big enough for your everyday essentials, easy to throw on for daycare drop-off, practical for the commute, but still something you’d happily take to lunch, meetings or out on the weekend.
Because HuddoCo was never really about making products for one short stage of motherhood.
We want to create pieces that move through life with you.
You Can Miss Them and Still Love Being Back
This one deserves saying.
You can miss your baby desperately at daycare and still enjoy being at work.
You can love motherhood and love having something that's yours.
You can feel guilty at drop-off and completely in your element an hour later.
Two things can be true at once.
Returning to work is another one of those motherhood transitions nobody can completely prepare you for. Some mornings will run like clockwork. Others will be absolute chaos.
But slowly, you find your rhythm. Not the one you had before. A new one that fits the version of you now 💛
