I’ve been back at work for 6 weeks now, and my maternity leave seems like a distant memory. I decided to write this post after being envious of all the Mum’s I saw in the park last month whilst I was taking my daughter to the doctors. That used to be me pushing my buggy around the park everyday come rain or shine, doing lap after lap trying to get my baby to sleep That used to be me having a picnic in the park on a sunny day with my NCT friends and their babies. That used to be me spending hours in cafes and coffee shops with the NCT girls drinking coffee and eating cakes all afternoon. That used to be me spending Friday afternoon in a local pub, having lunch with a glass of wine, and then taking our babies into the soft play. That used to be me going to Baby Sensory on a Tuesday morning, and Baby Bounce on a Friday morning. Seeing my baby’s love of music and singing develop. That used to be me having random play dates in the week with friends. Today’s me is running digital web build projects, organising teams, and making sure a project hits it delivery deadline on time and on budget. Today’s me is taking my daughter to nursery, and leaving the office at 5pm every day to pick her up. Today’s me now worries if she is getting enough sleep and food whilst at nursery, is she happy there, and has she made friends. Today’s me is now juggling fitting in work, nursey runs, cleaning, cooking, doing the washing, loading the dishwasher, ironing shirts for my husband, changing nappies, feeding the baby, and playing with the baby. Today’s me has little time for me. Maternity leave is so short, it may seem long when it begins, but it is so short. Enjoy every minute of it, it passes by in a blink of an eye – as does the first year of your baby’s life. I didn’t write this post as a sad post, but after seeing other Mum’s in the park yesterday, it made me look back at what a great time maternity leave was and how much I miss it. Claire x This post was first published on Meet Other Mums.