Most conversations about returning to work after maternity leave focus on the return itself: the first day back, childcare drop-off, the mental load of becoming “mum and professional” again overnight. But what about six or twelve months later, when the arrangement you came back on stops fitting the life you’re actually living?
In this episode, Carina shares her experience moving from three to four days at work after her second maternity leave and the slow realisation it wasn’t sustainable, the guilt that showed up, the conversations she had with her husband, her friends, and eventually her manager, and why increasing her days actually made her a more present, less stretched mum, not a less involved one.
You’ll learn:
- The five signals that it might be time to increase your work days
- Why “the arrangement doesn’t fit anymore” is a capacity problem, not a time management problem
- How to have the conversation with your partner before you have it with your manager
- A practical script for approaching your manager with a clear ask, not an open question
- Why quality time can increase even as your work days do
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
I'm Carina — I'm here to help you navigate how to be a mum and have a career.
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