Oh my! Mat-leave is almost over.

A Real‑Life Mum‑Thought

So baby arrived, and honestly, maternity leave has been a whole movie. It's been joyful, chaotic, tender, exhausting, heart‑melting, all of it. I just need to look at my baby and boom, pure joy. Actually, pure love. You know what, it's both pure joy and love. I adore this version of me — the mummy version.

But time? Time is a sprinter. I had 12 months of maternity leave, and suddenly… It’s almost over. Some days I wish I’d taken the 18‑month option, but let’s be real, that would end too, right?

Now, baby and work are wrestling for space in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I’m excited. It’s just… It’s not “before” anymore. I love my baby very deeply, and I need to find balance. And to top it all off, I’m a teeny bit anxious. Okay, fine, let’s call it what it is: I am anxious. It’s been a long time since I was in work mode, I mean career work mode. Someone else has been doing my job. And the “what if” questions? They have been multiplying like laundry.

HELP.

Now Let’s Talk…

That little recount above? That was me. It was some new mum last year. It is another mum right now. And it will be another mum somewhere, someday. It’s almost guaranteed.

Because here’s the truth: Returning to work after maternity leave is one of the most emotionally complex transitions a woman will ever navigate.

It’s not just logistics. Its identity. It’s confidence. It’s belonging. It’s the quiet fear of being forgotten or replaced. It’s the louder fear of not being able to keep up. It’s the guilt of wanting to work and the guilt of wanting to stay home; both at the same time.

And yet, despite how universal this experience is, the support systems around it are often… Thin. Patchy. Optional. Or Nonexistent.

Coach Wanted!. Why This Kind of Support?

Because returning to work after having a baby is not a simple “resume where you left off” moment. It’s a re-entry. An all-round one.... emotionally, mentally, physically, professionally, and sometimes academically.

A coach offers something uniquely powerful:

• A structured, unbiased listening ear

• Questions that help you find your own clarity

• A space where you’re not being advised, judged, or compared

• A mirror that reflects your strength back to you

• A reset, a gentle but firm “you’ve got this” from someone who sees the whole you

Your husband, mum, friend, mentor, they love you, but they’re not neutral. They cross the “you know I know you” line. A coach doesn’t.

This is partly why Waterscent was born. My first post‑mat‑leave experience left me needing more support than what was available. I needed someone who could hold space for the professional me, the academic me, the mother me, the anxious me, and the ambitious me, all at once.

A Few Solutions for the New Mum

Here’s what coaching can offer during this transition:

• An unbiased listening ear and seeing eyes

• Re‑envisioning identity and purpose

• Clarity — what you want, what you need, and what you can’t avoid

• Strategy — a clear‑cut plan for you, baby, work, and everything else

• Envisioning you again — not the old you, not the “new mum” you, but the integrated, whole you

For Organizations

If workplaces want confident, engaged, high‑performing employees, they must support the transition back from maternity leave and not just the exit into it.

Organizations can:

• Offer pre‑ and post‑maternity leave coaching

• Create post‑mat‑leave onboarding to avoid potential lag and lull after resumption

• Support the entire ecosystem:

  • The returning mum

  • The substitute staff

  • The line manager

  • The team absorbing the transition

A supported mum is a productive mum. A confident mum is a creative mum. A valued mum is a loyal mum.

Everyone wins.

For Educational Institutions (Grad School, Med School, Research Programs)

Academic environments often assume students can “pause” and “resume” seamlessly. But motherhood doesn’t pause. Identity doesn’t pause. Confidence doesn’t pause.

Institutions can:

• Provide transition coaching for graduate students returning from parental leave

• Support supervisors and departments in managing expectations and reintegration

• Create structured check‑ins to prevent academic drift

• Acknowledge the emotional labor of returning to research, labs, clinical rotations, or coursework

A supported student returns with clarity, focus, and renewed purpose, not fear.

Closing the Loop

Maternity leave ends. Babies grow. Work resumes. Life shifts. But the woman at the center of it all deserves support — real support — as she steps into her next chapter.

In this season of transitions, the goal is Clarity. Confidence. Wellbeing. For the mum. For the professional. For the student. For the woman becoming more of herself. And yes, for the workplace leader or academic supervisor walking alongside her.

Learn more at www.waterscent.ca.