Dear mama-to-be about to embark on her maternity leave.

Congratulations - that's what everyone is saying, right? Congratulations on the almost-here baby; the months 'off' work; the weeks and weeks on end of unadulterated bliss that you've been assured lies ahead. So we get that you're keeping all that uncertainty to yourself. Clearing your desk; packing away your belongings, and hugging colleagues as they wish you well. Yes, you've been looking forward and counting down to this day - still, now that it's here suddenly saying those final goodbyes makes everything so much more real. The hospital appointments, the shopping for baby clothes, the classes, and eight-and-a-half month countdown had been preparation enough, you thought - but leaving the office is daunting in a way you didn't realise it would be. And breathe. Your baby will arrive and you'll be overjoyed. You'll laugh, and cry, and wonder how the world could ever be without them in it. Nothing will ever be the same again - nor would you want it to be. You're a mum and your life has become more wonderful, and more challenging, and so much more complicated than anything you've experienced previously. So how on earth does going back to work figure in all this change? Well, it just does. Mums work - lots of them do. Sometimes because they have to; sometimes because they want to - usually a bit of both. You make it work - babies become a seamless part of your existence. The centre of your universe, always, but also as you grow in confidence as a parent you're better able to meet your own needs as well as theirs. So take those hearty congratulations with a smile; ask for help when you need it (which will be often), and don't get too concerned about what exactly lies ahead. When you return to work, and in the best possible way, very little will have changed. Relax: your maternity leave - whether it runs for weeks, months, or even years - is a time like no other. Love,

Her.

The SMA® Baby Club promises to be with parents for every stumble, and step, as they discover what the journey holds from bump to birth. The SMA Careline® is available 24/7 for mums (and dads) to get any help or support they need. ZRI446/06/17