Returning to work has been known to be difficult for new parents for a wide variety of reasons: lack of sleep, implicit biases that new parents face, finding the time and space to pump breast milk, postpartum, hormonal changes, separation anxiety and guilt, getting back in the swing of work duties and schedules, and so much more.

According to Parents.com, women are three times more likely than men to have to leave the workforce due to pandemic-related child care demands.

Lori Mihalich-Levin, CEO of Mindful Return and advocate for working parents said, it's important that new parents connect with other parents who are returning to work, talk to a therapist, or social worker to receive support and normalize the stresses and fears that one may be facing alone.

She also advised for parents to take parental leave, as it is necessary for recovery and can help destigmatize caregiving for both men and women.

"I'd say that you shouldn't feel any guilt about wanting to start your baby's life off on a healthy foot and to recover yourself. So I'd say, ditch the guilt. This is a major life event and the work will be there and you'll be okay if you take some time to pause," Mihalich-Levin said. " When it becomes completely normal for a new parent, whether a man or a woman to take a leave, then there will be less discrimination against women in the hiring process."

She said a good parental leave policy is gender neutral and provides about six months in paid leave. If your job doesn't have this kind of parental leave policy, she advised that people create working parent groups to seek change in their workplace or connect with local advocacy groups to make a difference.

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