Here’s what my Thursdays look like at the moment: leave the office at 4.30pm. Cycle to the nursery for 5.15pm where ours is the last baby left (urgh, my heart hurts!). Cycle home and stagger from the bike locker two streets away with baby on one hip, laptop backpack hanging on the other shoulder and our helmets dangling from a free finger. Quickly pee, whip up an omelette, slab it into a lunchbox, pack toys, grab a water then shove it all into our little push-along cart and head to the park. We have one hour of al fresco tea and playtime then home at 6.30pm for bath, teeth and 7.15pm bed. Then it’s time to make dinner before my partner returns from work – he works later to enable him to do the morning nursery drop-off. 

All that is after a nine-hour day (leaving home at 7.15am) and sleeping three-in-a-bed at night (which I must confess to loving). 

Does this non-stop schedule sound familiar? Because truthfully, I had no idea what my return to work would be like, and that’s because I’ve found that no one really talks about life post-maternity leave. My Instagram is a hive of mum guilt (my algorithm keeps serving me posts about how much of my baby’s life I’m missing…!) but where are all the women sharing how they’re balancing nursery pick-ups with tight deadlines? How is everyone finding that mental switch between breastfeeding and board meetings?

With all this in mind, I threw my journalist hat on and asked 15 women about their return-to-work experiences. The overall takeaway? For all the chat around flexible working and subsidised nurseries, parents are struggling.
So to try and make a positive change to my life – both in work and outside of that – I sought out practical, no-BS advice from a career coach who works specifically with mums. Click below to find her five tips for post-mat leave success.

Miranda Larbi
Well by Stylist editor and mum to Aubrey, 1. 

Sandwiched between two stormy spring days last week, we were graced with a gloriously sunny Sunday in Norwich. So, on a whim, I decided to gather my young family together for a mooch through the city. I love strolling the circuit of Norwich Cathedral’s grounds, and kick us off, we – my husband Luke, our children Enola (2) and Arley (4), and their uncle Jaime – lined our stomachs in the stunning Art Nouveau Royal Arcade, heading to Yalm for Biscoff, strawberry and white chocolate pancakes (always a winner) before the long walk. 

As the sugar hit, we forged on with our walk towards the cathedral. I tend to avoid cobbled streets if I’m pushing a stroller, but the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 is nimble and agile as we pace through the arches that welcome you to the beautiful grounds, accompanied by the sound of the wheels echoing and the kids chanting: “Echo, echo, E-C-H-O!” We make a beeline to say hello to Paddington (the marmalade-loving bear was secured for the city after a nationwide competition), who awaits us on a bench. By this point, Arley is on Jaime’s shoulders, so I can lift up the Bugaboo’s wheeled board, which handily folds entirely out of the way when not in use but is still attached for last-minute rides. 

Weaving through the flint-covered properties, Enola, who tends to skip stroller naps, fell asleep. It’s a testament to the comfort of the pram that she soundly snoozed for so long; the hood of the Butterfly extends out, so even if the heavens opened, I knew she’d be kept dry and sheltered from the unpredictable weather. 

All in all, we pack in an impressive 8,000-step circuit before merrily pottering back to our house, my husband and I periodically taking over the reins of the pram. We call in at our local supermarket to grab a Victorian-esque haul of bread, milk and butter to see us through the night, and I am impressed by the depth of the basket space – I am very used to leaving a Hansel and Gretel-esque trail of shopping along the road. And that was our sunny Sunday outing complete: no moaning about tired legs or missed naps. Our handy pram covered as many steps as we could manage, and we all had the most wonderful trip out together in the fresh spring sunshine. 

Where? Norwich City, cathedral grounds

Changing facilities? Lots of lovely (clean) toilets at the cathedral, and changing facilities open to the public

Shop for snacks? Head to Yalm, a food court with delicious choices set in the Royal Arcade

Walk time: up to three hours (depending on your route)

Accessible pathways? Really clear, easy-to-navigate paths – the only challenge is getting under the arch as you enter the cathedral grounds, but it was no problem for the Butterfly!

Overall rating: 4/5