In my work with women approaching the end of maternity leave, I have noticed a pattern. As the time to go back to work gets closer, women often experience doubt, fear and a swing between decisions about what they want to do in their careers. I call it "the wobble". If you are in it, you are probably asking whether you can make going back to work really work, whether there is something else out there that aligns with your values better now and what stepping away from your career altogether would look like.
It's normal, but it can feel strange, particularly if your identity has always been closely tied to your career. Now that you have another identity forming by way of motherhood, you may find yourself questioning how the two will align.
What the wobble looks like
The wobble tends to arrive when the return to work starts to feel real. It might be a few months before you go back or it might be on the practice run of the childcare drop-off. It can also turn up in the period of settling back into work wher