Mummascribbles – Working Mums – Wave to Mummy – Mummascribbles

As a working mum, some days I find it extremely difficult while on others it’s nice to be able to sit and have a hot cup of tea without having to wipe a nose or change a nappy! I know there are a heck of a lot of working mums out there, some love it, some hate it, others are somewhere in the middle. I thought it would be interesting to see exactly how others feel about being a working mum and maybe we can all learn a little something about dealing with that dreaded mummy guilt!

This week I have Sanna from Wave to Mummy answering all those working mum questions.

Tell me a little bit about who is in your family
It is me (Sanna, the mum), my husband and our daughter, now 2.5 years old.

What age were your children when you returned to work?
My daughter was 10.5 months when I returned back to work

Did you return to a job away from the home or within the home?
I returned to a job away from home. Or actually, I didn’t return to a job, as I quit my previous job and accepted a new offer while on maternity leave. Both were in Central London so a commuting distance away.

Did you choose to return or did your circumstances force you back?
It was a bit of both. Circumstances definitely forced me back – we needed my salary. Plain and simple, we need to eat and a roof over our heads!

That said, I never thought I would become a fully fledged stay at home mum. Building my career has always been important to me. I’ve also always had loads of business ideas, so if I would have stayed home, I’d probably be classed as work from home mum!

Did you return to work full or part time?
Full-time. The hours aren’t as gruelling as some of the places I’ve worked (I’m now on 40 hours rather than 50!) but the commute makes the days quite long.

What childcare do you have in place and how did you go about choosing it?
My husband became a stay at home dad. He was working temp and contract jobs, so there was little work security. As my salary was considerably higher than his it was an easy decision. Especially as the nursery costs are so high – he probably would have been working for no monetary benefit anyway.

What do you find the most difficult about being a working mum?
The lack of sleep.

It was worst when my daughter was still breastfeeding at night time. I was shattered during the day. It is still a struggle now, as when she has a disturbed sleep, I do too. It can also be difficult to switch off in the night time so falling asleep can take a while.

How do you deal with the working mummy guilt?
I don’t because I don’t have any!

The way I think of it, is we need money to live and I am providing it. I am also working to gain something that will hopefully benefit us long term. I also enjoy developing as a professional – I’ve learned a lot and learn something new every day. So no, I don’t feel guilty for working and I don’t think anyone should!

How did you feel when it was time to go back to work?
To be honest, it was nothing special. I was excited to start something new and I was a little bit worried about how the work will pan out. Once I started work I didn’t have too much time to worry, but of course, I did want to have lots of baby updates from my hubby throughout the day. 

Is your work/life balance what you want it to be or would you rather work less or more?
I would rather work a bit less, and work from home more. The hours I am on aren’t too bad, but it is the commute that makes days extra long. My commute takes about 2-2.5 hours a day.

In terms of facilitating a good work/life balance, my workplace is pretty decent. There are no expectations about answering work emails late at night or having to work late. Personal boundaries are respected. Of course there are times when I may have to work late, but I can then take off some time at another date.

What advice would you give to a mummy heading back to work?
When you are where you are, really be there. Be that work or home, but just be there and be present and do your best.

Make it count, whatever you are doing. When you are with your kids, really be with your kids, engage. When you are at work, do as much as you can without distractions. In my opinion that’s they key to achieving work/life balance.

Sanna, thank you so much for such a wonderfully honest interview. I love the bit about you having no mummy guilt because we shouldn’t have mummy guilt. It is so true but often we feel guilty when we know we shouldn’t. It’s wonderful that your husband can stay at home with your little lady and I am glad that you are now working less hours (although 40 hours still seems so many, even when I myself do 37.5!). I totally get you on the commuting thing, I commute into Waterloo each day and it aways feels like precious time I could be with Zach. If only all the good jobs weren’t in London hey? It sounds like you have it all in place and I really admire you for that. Well done mumma, being a full time working mum is not easy. 

Along with her blog Wave to Mummy, you can find Sanna over on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Bloglovin.