Maternity Leave Planning 3.0
All images by the amazing Jen Quirk
Literally cannot even BELIEVE I am writing this blogpost! Ha! I’m 33 weeks pregnant, and as I gear up for this sweet new season to being a mama of 3 girls, I am flooded with excitement and emotions and the feeling that I have 2.3 million things to accomplish before this sweet baby arrives.
All totally normal, by the way. Thankfully, I know that’s the case because this is my 3rd time around, and the best way to alleviate stress these final weeks is to get a SOLID game plan in place!
My maternity leave begins November 15th, and this baby is due December 10th.
I work 3 days a week, so that translates to 12 working days left in the year.
Translation: it’s GO TIME!
So, first, here are the links to how I prepared for my first and second maternity leaves:
Nancy’s Maternity Leave 1.0
Nancy’s Maternity Leave 2.0
To see how I have prepared this time, go back and read through Maternity Leave 2.0 / How to plan for extended time off… because I’m following that guide I made last time.
Here is where I am now:
– I’ve added a footer signature to the bottom of each email, giving people a heads up that it’s coming Nov 15th
– I’ve made a master list of tasks to complete by November 14th
– I’ve made a list of all my responsibilities that I need to hand off to my team
– I’ve scheduled all team meetings between now and the end of the year
What I have left to do:
– Email my brides, vendors, and close vendor friends, including any I plan to work with while on leave
– Add my away signature saying “I’m going to delete all emails while I’m gone!” … it’s intense, but it works!
– Take off 2 weeks prior to my due date
– Plan some time for me. (I plan to get a massage this weekend or next, and a mani / pedi the week before my due date!)
All of that to say, I’m rolling up my sleeves and gearing up to FINISH STRONG. Some days it’s much easier said than done because all I want to do is take a nap, but goodness it’s worth fighting for, knowing there’s a break from work just around the corner.
I’d love to hear from those of you who have taken maternity leave / sabbatical : What are your BEST tips? What one thing you were really thankful you did?