Returning to work after maternity leave: beyond logistics

When returning to work after maternity leave, conversations often revolve around the practical and logistical considerations. Arranging childcare, understanding new routines, preparing for your first day back and catching up on what has changed at work. But for most mums, the biggest adjustments are rarely just logistical.

Returning to work can bring up questions about how confident you feel about returning, how you will balance and manage work and home life, how close your work aligns with who you are now and what success means to you. Whilst you may be excited to reconnect with your career and that part of you, you may also wonder whether you’ll still feel like the person you were before.

Rebuilding confidence and reconnecting with strengths

Many mums worry that they have lost confidence during maternity leave. You may feel out of touch, unsure of your capabilities or concerned that you have fallen behind. But confidence isn’t fixed – it changes as we move through different stages of our lives.

Becoming a parent brings new experiences, responsibilities and skills. Patience, adaptability, problem-solving, prioritising and managing uncertainty are all strengths that develop through parenthood, and all are valuable in the workplace too.

The challenge is often not a lack of confidence but instead reconnecting to who you are and the strengths you bring in this new chapter.

The pressure to return as the ‘old you’

One of the biggest challenges mums can face is the expectation that they should return to work exactly as they left. Before maternity leave, you may have had a clear idea of who you were professionally and what you wanted from your career. After becoming a parent, your priorities may have changed.

You might still be ambitious, but your definition of success may look different. You might want progression, but also more flexibility. You might enjoy your career but no longer want work to take up the same space it once did.

Rather than trying to recreate the person you were before maternity leave, returning to work can be an opportunity to reflect on who you are now and what you need from your working life.

Confidence often comes from clarity

When people feel uncertain about returning to work, it is often because they haven’t had the space to think through what they want.

Questions that can help include:

• What matters most to me at this stage of my life?
• What parts of my career energise me?
• What strengths have I developed through becoming a parent?
• What boundaries or support do I need to work sustainably?
• What does success look like for me now?

Taking time to reflect on these questions can help you move forward with more intention, rather than simply trying to fit back into your old routines.

Small steps can make a big difference

Confidence doesn’t usually appear overnight. It is often rebuilt through small actions and experiences that remind you of your capabilities.

It's also worth remembering that returning to work is rarely something you need to navigate alone. Whether it's having open conversations with your manager, leaning on friends and family, or working with a coach, the right support can help you build confidence, gain clarity and approach the transition in a way that feels right for you.

It can also mean recognising that feeling nervous does not mean you are not ready. Often, uncertainty is simply a sign that you are stepping into something new.

Creating a working life that fits who you are now

Returning to work after maternity leave is more than a career transition. It is a period of change, growth and adjustment.

The goal doesn’t have to be finding the exact balance you had before. It can be about creating a way of working that supports the person you are today, as a professional, a parent and an individual. This might look different for everyone. For some, it may mean pursuing new opportunities. For others, it may mean redefining what a fulfilling career looks like.

With time, reflection and the right support, many mums find that their confidence returns in a new form, not by going back to who they were before, but by moving forward with a clearer sense of who they are now.