In advance of International Women’s Day, I’ve been noting some of the highs and lows of returning to work after a year’s maternity leave following the birth of our son. I’ve worked as an engineer for Trainline since 2014, most recently leading the development of our payment APIs.

29th November 2017 — It’s my first day back at work in a year. I’ve chosen to return to work part time. For me this seems like a good balance between spending time with my young son and having a rewarding career. So, for now, I will work three days per week — two from our London office and one from home. Trainline were supportive of this arrangement and have been flexible and understanding of the challenges of being a working parent.

I’m keen to get back to work. I’ve been a developer for over a decade and it’s an important and fulfilling part of my life. I am of course apprehensive. Can I still code after a year away from the office? Is my brain as mushy as it can sometimes feel? Will my son be OK in nursery?

The first commute was tough. Breastfeeding my little one then rushing out the door without eating breakfast and onto a crowded train left me feeling faint — I must eat breakfast tomorrow!

Once I’m in the office everyone is of course welcoming and keen to have me back. Things have moved on in a year but they’re not completely unfamiliar. I paired with a team mate on a story; my domain knowledge comes flooding back and I was immediately able to make meaningful contributions.

I took a break mid-afternoon in our welfare room to express breastmilk. It’s a comfortable and private space. I appreciate how easily and discreetly I can express in the office.

I left for the day on a high with a little more confidence that I can be an effective team member whilst working part time.

8th December 2018 — The first week or so back at work has gone well. I’ve been surprised by how quickly I’m settling back into the technical side of things and I’m really enjoying it. I’m pairing often to help me get back up to speed and it’s wonderful to be able to jump straight back in to our codebase. Before I left, our payment APIs were relative newbies and it’s rewarding to see that they’re holding up well.

It is an adjustment for me to no longer be central to the team and products. I’m still considering how it’s best for me to be kept in the loop as decisions are being made that can’t — and shouldn’t — wait for me. So far, we’ve reorganised our sprints such that we can plan and retrospective on days when I’m in the office.

4th January 2018 — Working from home has its ups and downs. I like the uninterrupted time to focus on development. On the other hand, collaboration is proving difficult. We are having trouble with video/voice comms during planning meetings. As a team we agreed that we need to get better at using the tools available to support remote work and so we allocated actions in our retro to improve this.

For day-to-day chat, notifications and support we use Slack and I believe we’re effective at this. To feel up-to-date, I make sure to review my channels to see what’s been happening on my days out of the office.

26th January 2018 — My son is sick. Whilst he transitions into nursery it’s common for kids to get sick as their immune system catches up. This is the third time I’ve had to take time off to care for him. Only now all three of us are ill so things are tough at home. I’m tired and run down and really looking forward to this phase of frequent illness being over and we can get into a good routine.

I’m beginning to appreciate that often office work is easier than looking after toddlers! He is at least enjoying his days at nursery. It’s naturally important to us that he’s settled and happy.

28th February 2018 — It’s been three months since my return to work and I think it’s valuable to stop and reflect. Trainline couldn’t have been more supportive. We’ve naturally had the odd teething troubles — figuratively at work — and literally at home — but in both cases, we seem to be over the worst.

My little family has settled into a nice routine. I enjoy my days spent with my son, but I also enjoy the days I’m working, and I find both aspects rewarding. It’s not always going to be easy to juggle work and parenthood. I value my support network and appreciate that I have the flexibility to spend time at home during this important phase of my little one’s life.