If you’ve just become a first-time mum, you’re in all likelihood going through a host of emotions as you look ahead and see your maternity leave time counting down, day by day. On the one hand you are overjoyed with your new family life, with the prospect of spending a lot of time with your newborn and harnessing all your maternal instincts to do what mums do best. However, you’re also feeling daunted by the incredible challenge of raising your baby and you can’t imagine how you’re going to deal with a regular working schedule too.

Before you had any idea that you were pregnant or were aware that your life was about to take an entirely new direction, your planned out career path seemed perfectly clear. That wasn’t the only thing that was clear either, as you were well aware of the long hours that you were putting in and the way that your career was already biting into your valuable personal time.

For all mothers, childbirth is a major life-changing experience. It ranks very highly on the list of life-changing events and can often lead to further and sometimes significant changes in other areas as well. Changing careers isn’t something to be taken lightly, but in some circumstances events can create a catalyst for rapid change, and as you’ve got quite a bit of time to think during your maternity leave, this may well be an excellent time to set a course in a new direction with respect to your career path.

If you have been thinking about alternatives, why not use the time away from your existing work environment to weigh up all the pros and cons? This might be a great time to investigate online life coaching sites, which are very good at helping you to focus your priorities and work out what is best for you. Don’t be afraid to seek out professional coaching as you are considering a major decision which could have significant repercussions throughout not only your life, but the life of your newborn and the rest of your family as well.

Often a career change can be just the spark that you want and can be driven by the natural enthusiasm that you now feel following your childbirth. Some women feel that they can take on the world after giving birth and this natural euphoria could really help you to make a go of your alternative career path.

If you find that, deep down, you are dreading the thought of returning to your old job and that you feel your career may have stagnated somewhat before you took your time off, then you really should reconsider everything. Sometimes it is better to get the view of a “third party,” or someone who is not a direct family member or even a close friend, as an impartial opinion could be very important at this stage. Specialised services offer coaching for women in your position and may well be able to offer you options which you had not even considered as yet.

When you talk to a professional coach you will be prompted to go through the positive and negative, and you may be able to unveil some underlying reasons why you are thinking so much about a career change. It might not just be something as obvious as the commute time, it may also be to do with the flexibility that a career working from home, for example, could provide.

Always consider your relationship with your current employer when considering a career change during maternity leave. Make sure that you read the terms of your current agreement and always keep them in the loop as early as possible, and especially as soon as you have made your decision.

Amanda Alexander is the Founder and Inspiration behind Coaching Mums. She’s a distinguished ICF accredited coach, who for almost seven years now, has been bringing a new feeling of hope into the lives of working moms from around the world, showing them how to discard their guilt, rediscover their passions and to have a lot more fun! For amazing articles and truly effective professional coaching tips, sign up to get “Inspire” right away, our absolutely outstanding free newsletter!

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