How to write a maternity leave message professionally

Becoming a parent is one of the most fulfilling moments in every person’s life. 

Hence, if some of our colleagues should become a parent, we have to show them love and support during these beautiful but challenging times. 

One of the best ways to show them that we care and would help them in any possible way is by sending them unforgettable maternity leave messages. 

Therefore, if you are looking for the best maternity leave messages, you are in the right place. 

Apart from learning about the best wishes messages, you will also learn more about: 

• The process of creating memorable maternity leave farewell messages for your colleagues, 
• The importance of maternity leave messages, and
• What to say and how to help your colleagues once they have returned from maternity leave. 

Since the baby might be coming soon, let’s dive into it! 

How do you write an excellent maternity leave message?

As you might have guessed, there is no unique way to create a remarkable maternity leave message. 

What your maternity leave message will look like depends on various factors — the most important one being how close you are with your colleague. 

In any case, the following advice might help you express your best wishes for maternity leave.

Advice #1: Keep it simple and sweet  

There is no need to write long essays about how magnificent it is to be a parent. A person who goes on maternity leave probably knows that already. 

Hence, a short and sweet message written in an email or a maternity leave card should be enough. 

Furthermore, keeping it concise and lovely will make your maternity leave message stand out from the rest. 

Advice #2: Insert short advice (if possible)

As we already mentioned, there is no need to write a handbook about the advantages of being a parent. 

If you want to share some pieces of advice with the future parent, share them in person or via a team communication app, such as Pumble. 

But remember — only do that if you see that a future parent is interested in hearing them. 

Still, a few short pieces of advice from colleagues who already have children will probably be appreciated in the maternity leave message. 

Advice #3: Offer support 

Having a baby is a life-changing experience.  

As a result, future parents will probably ask for help once they return to work. 

That is why you need to offer your support to them and provide it when needed. By that, we mean:  

• Mentioning what has changed since they have gone on maternity leave, 
• Explaining whether the company has introduced some new practice or policy, and 
• Introducing the colleagues who are back from maternity leave to new ones who joined the company during their absence. 

Of course, if your colleague is also your friend, you probably stayed in touch during their maternity leave, and consequently, the scope of assistance you can provide is immense. 

No matter what type of support you’re offering, remember that it must be honest, not just a dead letter in the maternity leave card or email. 

Why are maternity leave messages important?

Maternity leave messages contribute to a positive work environment. 

Letting people know you will think of them during their temporary absence is a beautiful way of saying: “We are a team, and we are here for each other!”  

That has various advantages.

Here are some concrete benefits of sending best wishes for maternity leave.

Benefit #1: Maternity leave messages improve interpersonal communication

Trust is at the heart of good interpersonal communication, but it takes time to forge it. 

It is built by navigating through thick and thin together. 

Having a colleague going on maternity leave is the perfect example of “thick and thin” since it encompasses both — positive and challenging. 

So, composing a maternity leave message for them guarantees an improvement in interpersonal relationships and communication. 

Receiving a sincere maternity leave message from you might make your colleague more open to talking to you if they need anything in the future.

The same goes for you if you need anything from them. 

Benefit #2: Maternity leave wishes enhance a positive atmosphere

Good interpersonal communication leads to a positive atmosphere in the workplace and helps preserve it. 

Seemingly small things, such as sending maternity leave messages, farewell messages, or holiday greetings messages, improve the overall atmosphere in the team and make everyone feel appreciated and valued.  

Benefit #3: Maternity leave messages make us better colleagues (and people)

At the end of the day, it is paramount to try to be a good person. 

During our professional careers, we might face some challenges or have tough choices to make. 

Still, situations like these — a dear colleague expecting a baby — remind us that sometimes doing the right thing is easy. 

In this case, doing the right thing means doing something that won’t result in any direct materialistic benefit, but will provide a morale boost that we can only feel when we make people around us happy. 

Hence, always try to be as polite as possible. And yes, that includes wishing someone a happy maternity leave. 

Best wishes for maternity leave

If you have been wondering what to say to someone going on maternity leave, there are a few general messages that are excellent choices. 

These examples are polite and kind enough to express your happiness for a colleague who is about to become a parent. 

You can send them to both close colleagues and coworkers with whom you barely spoke as you can see in the example below.

So, here they are — the best wishes for maternity leave.

“I’ve heard you are going on maternity leave and just wanted to say how happy I am for you! Congratulations!” 

“Becoming a parent is what many consider to be one of the best things in life. Congratulations to you and your partner!”

“Congratulations on becoming a parent! Babies are such bundles of joy; looking forward to meeting the little one!” 

“Congratulations! I’ve heard you have applied for maternity leave. Please call me if you need anything. We are all here for you and looking forward to seeing you!” 

“Maternity leave is just the beginning of a wonderful journey. I wish you all the best and hope to see you soon!” 

“Sending lots of love and support to a future parent! Please greet [the name of the other parent] and wish them all the best, as well. Can’t wait to see the little one!” 

“Just heard the wonderful news! Wish you and your partner all the best. And remember, don’t think about the job. We will cover everything for you!” 

“Congratulations to the future parent!” 

“Best wishes to you, your partner, and the little one! I’ve just heard the beautiful news. All the best, see you soon!” 

“Wish you a pleasant maternity leave! Congratulations!” 

Simple wishes for maternity leave

Simple maternity leave wishes are a great choice when you aren’t sure what to say and want to keep everything straightforward. 

The screenshot below is the perfect example of what the simple wishes message for maternity leave should look like. 

If you believe simplicity is the ultimate sign of sophistication, then you’ll like the following simple wishes for maternity leave. 

“Happy maternity leave!” 

“Congratulations! Best wishes for your maternity leave!”

“Congratulations on becoming a parent!” 

“Wishing all the best to future parents!” 

“Wish you a love-filled maternity leave!”

“Wish you the most wonderful baby break!” 

“Happy maternity leave, and enjoy your family time!” 

“Happy baby break!” 

“Many congratulations! I wish you all the best! Happy maternity leave!”

“Becoming a parent is a huge thing! All the best to you and your family!”

Maternity leave quotes you can use

Bringing new life into the world has been an inspiration to various poets and writers since the days of yore. 

Hence, there are a lot of heartening quotes you can use in your maternity leave messages. 

They might make your maternity leave congratulations more effective or even unforgettable, just like they did in the following screenshot. 

Here are more famous quotes you can use in a maternity leave message. 

“Like stars are to the sky, so are the children to our world. They deserve to shine!” — Chinonye J. Chidolue

“Children bring us a piece of heaven on earth.” — Roland Leonhardt

“Every child begins the world again.” — Henry David Thoreau

“A baby is as pure as an angel and as fresh as a blooming flower.” — Debasish Mridha

“In the garden of humanity, every baby is a beautiful new flower.” — Debasish Mridha

“Nothing compares to becoming aware of the massive face of the universe hidden in a newborn’s stare.” — Curtis Tyrone Jones

“There are words in the soul of a newborn baby, wanting and waiting to be written.” — Toba Beta

“The amazing thing about becoming a parent is that you will never again be your own first priority.” — Olivia Wilde

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” — Elizabeth Stone

“It’s not only children who grow. Parents do too.” — Joyce Maynard

Happy maternity leave messages

Our colleagues often become our friends. 

So, when they learn they will become a parent, the line between professional and personal can get blurred due to the overwhelming happiness we feel for them. 

And in situations like this, it is fine to be overwhelmed and get a bit personal in the maternity leave message you send them. 

Here is what happy maternity leave messages look like. 

“Dear [name of a coworker], I cannot hide my smile all day! I am really happy for you and [the name of their partner].”

“I am thrilled! I just learned about the pregnancy. If you need anything, you know the number! Congratulations!” 

“You ought to buy me a drink now that I have heard the wonderful news! I am so happy for you and [name of their partner].” 

“Congratulations dear [name of the coworker]! It seems you are finally going on holiday, huh?” 

“Happy maternity leave [name of the coworker]! Wish you and your family all the best. You guys know my number, so if you need anything — don’t hesitate to call!”

“I bet your new roommate will be as fine a person as you are! Hello baby, au revoir sleep!” 

“Sound sleep is overrated anyway! Congratulations, my dear!” 

“Well, knowing you and [name of their partner], it seems your baby hit the jackpot! Congratulations! Can’t wait to see you!” 

“I know it looks challenging right now, but it might get better after 18 years! Congratulations!” 

“My dear [name of the coworker], you will do great! Can’t wait to meet the little one!” 

Formal maternity leave wishes

Imagine learning your boss or manager is expecting a baby. 

In most cases, you cannot send them something like “Aye, boss, congrats on getting a little boss, haha!”

Instead, you should stick to more formal communication patterns, just like it is illustrated in the following example.

If you like the message from the screenshot above, then the following formal maternity leave wishes will be interesting, as well.  

“Dear boss/manager, congratulations!” 

“I just heard the beautiful news. Wish you all the best, and many congratulations to you and your family!”

“Dear boss/manager, happy maternity leave!”

“Sending a lot of best wishes to you and your family. Congratulations!” 

“You have been so nice to us since I joined the team. You and your family deserve nothing but the best! Congratulations!” 

“Dear Boss/Manager, you have put smiles on each member of the team with the wonderful news! Wishing you and your little one all the best!” 

“Dear Boss/Manager, you are leaving the team in safe hands, no worries! We wish you a wonderful family time with your closest ones. Congrats!” 

“Dear boss/manager, it seems you are at the beginning of a wonderful journey. Congratulations!” 

“You have always been there for us and now is the time for us to step in. Enjoy your love-filled maternity leave!”

“The team has just heard the lovely news. We are all happy for you, congratulations!” 

What to say to a colleague returning from maternity leave?   

Once new parents have returned from their maternity leave, feel free to greet them. 

That way, you’ll show them that your professional relationship has remained intact and you are ready to tackle new challenges with them. 

Here are the messages you can send to a colleague returning from maternity leave.

“I am glad everything went fine during your maternity leave. Glad to be working with you again!” 

“Welcome back! Let’s continue where we left off!” 

“Hey, I’ve just heard you came back from maternity leave. If you need anything, just reach out to me!” 

“Good to have you back on the team. We missed you.” 

“Hey, glad to see you back! If you have time later, I would love to introduce you to new people in our team.” 

How to help a colleague who has returned to work after maternity leave? 

After sending a welcome message to a colleague who was on maternity leave, it is time to take additional steps to help them reintegrate into the team. 

Since they were once an active part of the team, they probably won’t need much help, but you should still be there for them.

Here are some things you can do to make their life easier after maternity leave.

• Talk about the rules and practices the company has introduced while they were away,
• Help them get used to new technologies or software the company uses (if there is a need for that), and 
• Introduce them professionally to new colleagues. 

In addition, if you are a manager or in any type of leadership role, you can help your employees feel like they have never left by doing some or all of the following:

• Don’t assign too many tasks to an employee who has just returned from maternity leave. Give them 1 or 2 weeks to get used to work again. 
• Offer your help and guidance. 
• Praise an employee whenever they do something well.
• Talk to your employee about how they feel about working again. 

By implementing some of the advice above, you can make your colleagues or employees feel happy to be a part of such a caring team. 

And, by doing that, you might even help your company accomplish better results since happy employees are usually more engaged and productive than unhappy employees. 

Conclusion: Maternity leave message means caring about people

When we find out that one of our dear colleagues is about to become a parent soon, the time stops for a second. 

We stop what we’re doing, everything we’ve been working on at that moment becomes less important, and we put our parent-to-be colleague at the center of our attention. 

But, since we’re in a professional environment, we cannot scream from the rooftops and throw parties to show our joy over the wonderful news. Instead, a friendly email or maternity leave card should be more than enough. 

Not only will sending a maternity leave message make you feel better because you did a good thing, but it might also contribute to your colleague’s happiness because they will know they work in a caring team with good people. 

After all, sending a maternity leave message means showing you care about others.