MAT LEAVE - TIME TO GO!

Mat Leave, when to start it?

Champagne problem yes, but still a valid topic for a working mom. It took me a few weeks (months) to finally decide when my last day at work was going to be, if I were lucky enough of course to have the choice to pick the date myself.

In the end, I was truly confident with my decision only a week before my last day. It was a strategic move and I wanted to fully maximize my time. Here are some things I realized along the way that might help some of you who are in the same situation:

- Decide whether it's more important for you to have some off-time before baby arrives or rather closer to the end of the mat leave. There's no wrong answer, but having a goal gives you the motivation to move forward and have no regrets;

- Evaluate the pros and cons on the financial, physical and emotional sides. The answer might come out naturally after this analysis;

- List out the tasks you'd like to do at the beginning of mat leave and evaluate if some can be done while you're still working. Also list out the items you'd like to complete at work before you leave. This will give you an idea of the required timeframe;

- Some people will ask you when is your last day and voice their surprise about how late it is. Some might even say 'Don't you want to spend time with your other kids before?'. Don't take it personal, it's just conversation;

- Make sure to respect your employer's notification timeframe to allow proper preparation for the mat leave;

Overall, only you know what's best for you, your baby and your family. I was trying to cheat and asked my husband when I should take it based on our previous pregnancies. He did give me some tips but in the end, I had to make the final call. It's one of the many lessons Moms go through during their pregnancy that prepare them for later: learning to trust their intuition and just go for it.

I'm now on day 3 of mat leave. I'm still not fully settled in yet with the new routine, but it's coming along really well I think. I get to enjoy green tea ice cream a couple of times a day and catch up on the new Income Property episodes. I still check my work emails, but now it's only once a day. I get to spend time with my boys like I had planned and my to-do list is slowly getting shorter. My body went through a mini-crash over the weekend after working hard for so long so the timing was actually perfect. Now the waiting fun begins!

Photos: To those who made it to the end of this long Oprah post, I thought why not share some of the pretty cupcakes that I got to enjoy in the past week, because Mat Leave is about enjoying those last days of cravings too.