Returning to work after maternity leave is one of the most significant transitions in early parenthood — and one of the least discussed. The focus during pregnancy and the first months is almost entirely on the baby. Then, at some point between three and ten months postpartum depending on how much leave you take, you’re expected to walk back into a workplace you left as one person and return to as another.
This is a starting orientation — your entitlements in Ireland, what to sort before you go back, a brief honest picture of what the first weeks feel like, and when to reach for support. For the full depth — the complete course, the practical playbooks, and our quarterly Returning to Work workshop — that lives inside your BROODE membership.
Your legal rights in Ireland
Your rights during and around your return to work are protected under the Maternity Protection Act. Worth knowing clearly, because most employers are solid on the basics but not always clear on the specifics.
Returning to your job You are entitled to return to your same job, with the same contract of employment, after maternity leave. If it’s not reasonably practicable for you to return to your former role, your employer must provide suitable alternative work on no less favourable terms.
Notice of return You must give your employer at least 4 weeks’ written notice of your intention to return to work.
Breastfeeding breaks If you are breastfeeding when you return, you are entitled to 1 hour of paid time per day — either as breaks for expressing or as a reduction in your working day — for up to 2 years after birth. This is a statutory right. You do not need to justify it.
Flexible and remote working Since 2024, you have the right to request flexible or remote working under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. Your employer must consider it seriously but can refuse with a valid business reason.
Parent’s Benefit Even after your maternity leave ends, you have 9 weeks of Parent’s Benefit (non-transferable, at €299/week in 2026) to take within your child’s first 2 years. This is a significant and under-used lever — many parents use it to extend a shorter leave, ease back into work part-time, or cover school holidays later.
Members get more: Inside BROODE, the full course covers exactly how to exercise each of these rights, how to have the conversations with HR, and what to do if your employer pushes back.
Childcare — what to sort, and when
Childcare is the single biggest decision you’ll make in the lead-up to returning to work. Get it wrong and the whole transition feels harder. Get it right and going back is genuinely manageable.
Options in Ireland:
- Crèche or nursery — group setting with structured routines; ECCE scheme applies from age 2 years 8 months
- Childminder — individual care in their home; often a more home-like setting
- Au pair or nanny — care in your own home
- Family member — grandparent or relative providing care, formal or informal
National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidies apply to registered providers from when your baby is 6 months old. Apply through ncs.gov.ie.
Waiting lists are real. Good crèches and childminders in Ireland — especially in Dublin and the commuter belt — fill up months in advance. If you haven’t started looking, start now, regardless of when your return date is.
Settle your baby in early. Start childcare a week or two before your own return date. If your baby is unsettled or unwell in the first days, you’re not dealing with it on top of your own first week back.
Members get more: Inside BROODE, the full course walks through the specific questions to ask at crèche visits, what a good settling-in policy looks like, and how to evaluate childminders properly
Before you go back — the 6-week checklist
Roughly six weeks before your return, work through this high level:
- Confirm your return date in writing with your employer (4 weeks' notice minimum)
- Raise flexible working requests now, not on your first day back
- Book childcare settling-in sessions for the 1–2 weeks before your return
- Plan the morning and evening routine with your partner — specifically, not generally
- Agree a sick-child plan — because it's going to happen
- Get expressed milk storage sorted at work if you're continuing to breastfeed
- Practise the drop-off at least once before your first day
- Consider starting on a Tuesday or Wednesday — a shorter first week makes the adjustment gentler
The first few weeks — what to expect
The first week back is almost always the hardest. Knowing that in advance helps.
Start as you mean to go on. Do not try to prove yourself in week one by staying late, skipping lunch, or taking on more than is reasonable. If you need to leave at 5pm every day, leave at 5pm on day one. Setting the pattern from the start is far easier than walking it back later.
The drop-off cry is almost universal. It doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It means your baby has formed an attachment. The cry often stops within minutes of you leaving.
Guilt is common, and normal. Guilt does not mean you are making the wrong decision. It often simply means you love your baby. What helps: naming the feeling, talking to other parents who’ve been through it, and protecting 15–20 minutes of focused, unhurried time with your baby after pick-up — this matters more than volume of hours.
A new rhythm typically forms within 2–3 weeks. Not a perfect one — a workable one. That’s the realistic target.
Members get more: The full BROODE course and quarterly “Returning to Work” workshop cover the emotional reality in depth — including the identity shift most parents don’t expect, how to have the honest conversations with your partner about the division of labour, and what to do when the guilt doesn’t ease.
When to get support
Returning to work can surface harder feelings than expected — not just logistical stress, but genuine low mood or anxiety. This is more common than people admit, and it’s treatable.
Speak to your GP if you’re experiencing:
- Persistent low mood or sadness lasting more than two weeks
- Anxiety that’s intrusive or interfering with daily life
- Difficulty sleeping even when you have the opportunity
- A feeling that you’re not yourself, that won’t shift
Postnatal depression and anxiety often surface at this stage — months after birth, as leave ends and routines change — rather than immediately postpartum. It’s not too late to reach for support. Your GP is the right first call. The 6-week postnatal check was not your only window.
Key takeaways
- You have the right to return to your same job — and to flexible or remote working requests
- Breastfeeding breaks are a paid statutory right for up to 2 years after birth
- Parent’s Benefit (9 weeks per parent, €299/week) is an under-used lever — worth considering
- Start childcare searches early — waiting lists are real
- Settle your baby in 1–2 weeks before your return — not the day before
- The first week is the hardest — a rhythm typically forms within 2–3 weeks
- Persistent low mood or anxiety is not something to wait out — speak to your GP
The full picture is inside your BROODE membership
This article is a starting point. Inside your BROODE membership, you’ll find the full support for this transition:
- The quarterly BROODE “Returning to Work” workshop — led by Amy Deignan, BROODE founder. Amy spent nine years at Salesforce, including years leading the Women’s Network and supporting women through return-to-work transitions. Her own path led to building BROODE rather than returning to corporate — which means she’s had honest conversations with women about this transition from every angle: those returning, those staying away, and those making other choices.
- The full BROODE Returning to Work course — childcare decisions, home logistics, breastfeeding at work, the first weeks, managing guilt, protecting your time, the identity shift, and building a sustainable routine
- The Welcome to Parenthood Programme — our flagship eight-session midwife-led course for couples, walking with you from 14 weeks of pregnancy through your baby’s first six months. Exclusive to BROODE members at €299 per couple.
- A local village of parents in Ireland — our private community, plus local meet-ups in our launch regions (Bray, Greystones, Sandyford, Cherrywood, Dundrum) hosted by our BROODE midwife ambassadors
- Monthly Midwife Q&As and expert-led sessions on household budgeting, identity shifts, and mental health
- The BROODE Maternity Leave Budget Template — a working spreadsheet to plan your income, outgoings and any shortfall across your leave
€29/month for the first 100 members. €34/month thereafter.
Written by the BROODE team. Information correct as of April 2026, based on the Maternity Protection Act, the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, and official Irish Government sources (gov.ie, citizensinformation.ie). For advice about your specific employment rights, speak to your HR department or the Workplace Relations Commission at workplacerelations.ie.
