Returning To Work After Maternity Leave: The Ultimate UK Guide For Mums

Updated May 2026

Returning to work after maternity leave is one of the biggest emotional, practical and professional transitions many mums will ever go through.

Frankly? I don’t think we talk about it properly.

We talk about childcare. We talk about nursery settling-in sessions. We talk about keeping in touch days, flexible working requests and whether you still fit into your old work clothes.

But we don’t always talk about the real stuff.

The identity shift, who are you now?
The guilt.
The fear that your career might not recover.
The worry that people now see you differently.
The quiet assumptions.
The relationship conversations that should have happened earlier.
The pressure to be grateful for flexibility.
The feeling that everyone else’s needs suddenly matter more than yours.

And I feel really strongly about saying this early on:

You matter too.

Your career matters.
Your wellbeing matters.
Your ambitions matter.
Your financial independence matters.
Your identity outside of being a mum matters.

This guide is here to help you think through your return to work properly — emotionally, practically and professionally — so you can make decisions that work for you, your family and your future.

I’m writing this as both a working mum and someone who has worked in recruitment for over 23 years, including more than 12 years running my own recruitment business. I’ve recruited across the UK, from entry positions right through to six-figure senior positions, and I’ve had many, many conversations with women returning to work after maternity leave, career breaks and huge life changes.

Through MMB Magazine, I’ve also worked extensively around maternity returners, flexible working and supporting mothers as they leave and return to work. MMB’s maternity returner survey gathered more than 1,000 responses and showed just how unsupported many women felt when returning to the workplace.

Only 18% of maternity returners said they felt happy and confident about returning to work, 37% felt so unsupported and isolated that they wanted to leave, and 90% said no returner support had been offered.

So if you are feeling nervous, excited, guilty, angry, hopeful, confused or completely all over the place — you are not alone.

You are not failing.

You are going through a transition that is far bigger than most workplaces, and sometimes even families, fully understand.

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Returning To Work After Maternity Leave Is Not Just A Practical Issue

One of the biggest mistakes we make when talking about returning to work after maternity leave is treating it like a logistics problem.

As though if you sort nursery, work clothes, travel durations and packed lunches, everything else will naturally fall into place.

But returning to work is not simply practical.

It is emotional.

It is financial.

It is relational.

It is professional.

It is about identity.

You are not the exact same person who left work before having your baby. That doesn’t mean you are less capable. In many ways, you may be more capable than ever. But your life has changed.

Your priorities may have shifted.

Your energy is different.

Your tolerance for workplace nonsense may be far lower.

You may suddenly be looking at your job and asking:

“Does this still work for me?”
“Do I still want this?”
“Can I grow here?”
“Will they support me?”
“Can I afford not to work?”
“Can I afford to work once childcare is included?”
“Am I still ambitious?”
“Am I allowed to want more?”

The answer to that last one is yes.

You are allowed to want more.

You are allowed to want your career back.

You are allowed to want part-time hours.

You are allowed to want to stay home longer.

You are allowed to want a slower season.

You are allowed to want promotion.

You are allowed to want to build a business.

You are allowed to want work that gives you back a part of yourself.

There is no one correct version of being a working mum.

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The Reality Facing Mums Returning To Work

The emotional overwhelm many women feel is not “just in their head”. The data tells a very clear story.

MMB Magazine’s maternity returner survey found that only 18% of maternity returners felt happy and confident about returning to work, while 37% felt so unsupported and isolated that they wanted to leave their employer. Just 17% felt they had received good communication and help through the maternity process, and 90% said no returner support was offered through a returner programme or one-to-one coaching.

In another MMB article discussing the survey findings, 41% of women reported they had not been put forward for promotion after returning and felt their career had stalled.

That matters.

Because when women return from maternity leave, they are not returning as less ambitious, less skilled or less valuable.

But too often, they are returning into workplaces where support is inconsistent, assumptions are still made and confidence is already fragile.

External research shows this is still a wider issue. Pregnant Then Screwed’s State of the Nation research found that recent mothers were much more likely to request flexible working than men when returning to work.

Honestly, after years of working in recruitment hearing what employers say behind closed doors about recruitment needs, and speaking to working mothers through MMB Magazine, these conversations are still happening every single week.

Women worrying:

• they’ll be overlooked
• they’ll lose momentum
• they’ll no longer be seen as ambitious and overlooked
• they’ll quietly disappear professionally and personally
• they’ll become the “default parent” without that conversation ever taking place
• they’ll lose themselves completely

And what I want to say very clearly here is this:

Those fears are understandable.

But they should not become your identity.

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The Emotional Side Nobody Really Talks About

Before I returned to work, I genuinely underestimated how emotional it would feel.

I remember sitting outside the nursery after drop-off, trying not to cry before heading into meetings. I also remember feeling guilty for enjoying parts of work again too.

That emotional conflict can really throw you.

You can:

• miss your children terribly
• feel relieved to use your brain again
• feel overstimulated at work
• feel touched-out at home
• worry constantly
• question everything

Sometimes all before 9am.

That does not make you a bad mum.

It makes you human.

I think one of the hardest things for many mums is the feeling of suddenly being pulled in two directions all the time.

At work, you may feel guilty for not being with your children.

At home, you may feel guilty for thinking about work.

It can feel like you are never fully “off” mentally.

Honestly, I think a huge amount of this comes from the invisible emotional load many mothers carry.

Not just physically doing things, but mentally:

• remembering
• organising
• anticipating
• planning
• carrying the emotional responsibility for everybody else

That mental load is exhausting.

And if you are returning to work carrying all of that alone, it can become overwhelming very quickly, which is why understanding how to mentally prepare for returning to work after maternity leave can make such a huge difference.

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One Conversation I Really Wish We’d Had Earlier

Looking back now, one of the biggest mistakes I think many couples make before a baby arrives is not fully sitting down and having a really honest conversation about expectations afterwards.

Not simply practical things like nursery pick-ups or finances, but the bigger picture too:

• what both of you want your lives to look like.
• what your goals still are
• how careers fit into family life
• what support realistically looks like
• how the mental load will be shared
• what happens when childcare falls through
• whose career takes priority when things become difficult

When I had Kimi, I was in a successful career in recruitment that I genuinely loved. I loved being a mum too, but I also knew I still wanted to build my career, keep progressing, and maintain part of myself outside of motherhood.

And I think sometimes women almost feel guilty saying that out loud.

But it matters.

You matter.

I also found a brilliant nursery in Helen Gration Montessori Nursery and truthfully, I knew Kimi would absolutely thrive there.

A good nursery can be an amazing thing for children.

Children do not only benefit from being physically attached to their mum 24/7. They benefit from happy, supported parents, enriching environments, social interaction and parents who feel emotionally fulfilled too.

And I think sometimes mums are made to feel selfish for wanting that balance.

But there is no right or wrong.

Some mums desperately want to stay home longer.

Some can’t wait to get back to work.

Some want part-time.

Some want to go back full-time and continue building their careers.

Some completely change direction afterwards.

All of those paths are valid.

What matters is making sure you are not silently sacrificing yourself because expectations were never properly discussed in the first place.

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The Workplace Reality Nobody Fully Prepares You For

Returning to work after children can feel incredibly vulnerable.

Not because you suddenly become less capable, but because you become very aware that people’s perceptions of you may quietly shift.

And sometimes they do.

Even now, despite all the conversations around flexible working, equality and modern parenting, there are still workplaces where becoming a parent — especially becoming a mother — changes how people view your ambition, availability or long-term potential.

Sometimes it’s overt.

But honestly, a lot of the time it’s far more subtle than that.

Over the years, through recruitment, MMB and conversations with women across so many industries, I’ve spoken to incredibly successful women:

• senior leaders
• directors
• entrepreneurs
• executives
• consultants
• women absolutely at the top of their game

And yet so many have shared remarkably similar experiences after becoming mothers.

Not necessarily discrimination in the obvious sense.

But assumptions.

Assumptions that:

• they wouldn’t want to travel anymore
• they wouldn’t be available for leadership opportunities
• they wouldn’t want promotions
• they wouldn’t attend networking events
• they wouldn’t want high-pressure projects
• they’d prioritise family over progression

That’s why understanding your rights when returning to work after maternity leave is important, notably when navigating flexible working conversations or progression concerns about your life.

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Have Your “Ideal Plan” — But Also Your Realistic Plan

One thing I often say to mums returning to work is:
have your ideal scenario in your head first.

Your version of:
“If I could design this around my life and family, what would it look like?”

Maybe that’s:

• hybrid working
• compressed hours
• consultancy
• part-time
• school-hours flexibility
• a career pivot
• building or starting a business
• fewer hours temporarily
• more ambition long term

Then separately think:

“What would I accept for now, what’s my ideal, what would I accept, and what are my deal breakers?”

Because life after children is rarely static.

Your needs evolve.

Your emotions evolve.

Your ambitions evolve.

Sometimes what feels right immediately after maternity leave changes entirely six months later.

And that’s okay too.

This is why creating a realistic return-to-work plan after maternity leave can help stop you from becoming overwhelmed by trying to make every decision immediately.

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What Employers Actually Look For In Returners

This is where I think mums massively underestimate themselves.

Over the years in recruitment, I have interviewed and worked with countless women returning after maternity leave or long career breaks. The strongest candidates were rarely the ones with the “perfect” uninterrupted CV.

The women who stood out usually had:

• resilience
• emotional intelligence
• organisation skills
• adaptability
• crisis management skills
• empathy
• perspective

Parenting develops skills many workplaces desperately need.

One of the biggest mistakes I see returners make is assuming they are somehow “behind”.

In reality, many returners are more efficient, focused and emotionally intelligent than they were before having children.

Honestly, learning how to rebuild confidence returning to work as a mum is often one of the biggest turning points professionally.

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Confidence Rarely Comes Before Action

Confidence can take a huge hit after maternity leave.

Even incredibly capable women suddenly question:

• meetings
• presentations
• interviews
• networking
• leadership
• speaking up

I see this constantly.

One thing I always tell returners is this:

Confidence rarely comes before action.

It usually comes after repeated exposure.

You rebuild it by:

• showing up
• having conversations
• updating your CV
• doing the interview
• attending the meeting
• surviving the first week
• surviving the second week

For many women, imposter syndrome after maternity leave is far more common than people realise.

Most people around you are too busy worrying about themselves to analyse you as much as you think.

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Childcare, Guilt & The Mental Load

Childcare logistics are exhausting.

Even with planning, things will go wrong sometimes.

Children get ill.

Wraparound care collapses.

WhatsApps get missed.

Inset days appear from nowhere.

I genuinely think one of the biggest pressures working mums face is trying to perform as though they don’t also have invisible caring responsibilities running constantly in the background.

You are not failing because family life is chaotic sometimes.

You are parenting.

Honestly, if your child is in a nursery or childcare environment where they are:

• loved
• safe
• stimulated
• thriving
• emotionally supported

…and you are building a life that also fulfils you, that is not something to feel guilty about.

Children benefit from seeing fulfilled parents too.

This becomes even more important when working to navigate balancing work and motherhood after maternity leave without completely burning yourself out.

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Burnout In Working Mothers Is Incredibly Common

Many mums return to work and immediately expect themselves to perform at 100% in:

• work
• parenting
• relationships
• housework
• emotional labour
• school admin
• life

It’s unsustainable.

Burnout in working mothers is incredibly common because many women carry the majority of the invisible mental load alongside paid work.

Please do not ignore:

• constant exhaustion
• emotional numbness
• anxiety
• irritability
• overwhelm
• brain fog

You deserve support too.

And honestly, understanding how to successfully return to work after maternity leave without burning out is just as important as understanding childcare or flexible working.

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If Your Old Career No Longer Fits

Motherhood changes people.

Sometimes returning to work highlights that your old career simply no longer matches your life.

That can feel frightening financially and emotionally.

But it can also become the beginning of something better.

I’ve seen women:

• retrain
• start businesses
• move into consultancy
• reduce hours
• pursue leadership
• change industries completely

There is no single “correct” version of success after children.

And for some women, exploring returner programmes and career support after a career break becomes the thing that helps them realise they are not stuck.

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You Are Not Stuck

If something no longer works for you after children, that does not mean you have failed.

And if your current workplace cannot support the version of working life you know would genuinely help your family thrive, that does not mean your ambitions are unrealistic.

You are not trapped forever in one setup.

There are:

• different employers
• different industries
• consultancy routes
• flexible businesses
• remote opportunities
• hybrid careers
• entirely new paths you may not even have considered yet

Yes, change can feel frightening.

Yes, there may be hard seasons for a while.

Yes, compromises sometimes have to happen.

But there is a huge difference between: making short-term adjustments strategically and slowly disappearing from your own life completely.