What to write in a maternity leave card

Maternity leave is an incredibly special and personal time for both parents, one where they might need a lot of support and personal time to adjust to their new life. And nowhere will they need more support outside of their home than in the workplace. If you know a colleague is about to take maternity or paternity leave, then make sure you send best wishes in a maternity leave card to let them know you’re there for them.

Not only do maternity wishes show your colleague a friendly level of support, but they can put a smile on their face with the knowledge that they’re valued and cared for by their place of work! But what do you write in a maternity card if you’ve never written one before? How professional is too professional? Should you just keep your maternity wishes short?

Well, the good news is, it’s pretty easy to write maternity leave farewell messages to colleagues. You can keep it professional, letting them know that all their work will be covered, or lighten the mood of their leaving if you’re close work friends. To help you get inspired about wishing your colleague a happy maternity leave, we’ve come up with a few suggestions for maternity leave wishes that you could use in your card.

Traditional maternity leave card messages

If you don’t know your colleague very well on a personal level, then it might be tricky to know what to write in a maternity card – so we’ve pulled together some nice and simple maternity leave farewell messages to colleagues. These traditional maternity leave card messages are sure to bring a smile to their face as they cradle their newborn:

1. There is no greater joy than having a child, I hope you enjoy every minute of raising your new family.
2. Congratulations on your soon-to-be new arrival, I’m overjoyed for your family.
3. Don’t think about work for a moment while you’re away – take all that time to bond with the baby!
4. We’ll miss you while you’re gone, but you’re going to have so much fun with your new arrival!
5. I know you’ll be a great parent; my best maternity leave wishes to you and your new family.

Funny maternity leave messages

Naturally, if you and your colleague are good friends, there’s no reason you can’t inject a bit of humour into your wishes with funny maternity leave message inside an equally funny maternity leave card:

6. Congratulations on your new baby! Would you like some extra leave to catch up on sleep as well?
7. You’re going to have so much fun with your new baby! Make the most of it, they don’t stay cute forever.
8. You do know why it’s called maternity leave and not maternity vacation, right?
9. I hope you have a happy maternity leave; we’ll be thinking about you when we look at your empty chair, particularly about how much sleep you’ll be losing.
10. You know how you love a structured work routine? Yeah, you won’t be getting much of that for the next few months.

Traditional paternity leave card messages

Of course, it’s not just the mums who get maternity leave. If your colleague is a dad-to-be, then you can always get them a paternity leave card to help prepare them for their new family life:

11. You’re going to make a brilliant father, remember to keep some dad jokes for when they’re older.
12. Enjoy your new family time, all your work is in capable hands.
13. Have fun raising your new child. We’ll make sure everything is ready for when you return.
14. Welcome to the world of fatherhood, you’re going to be even better at it than your job.
15. You’ve already taught the rest of us so much, so we know you’ll teach your baby all the essential life skills.

Funny paternity leave card messages

If you know your work friend appreciates a bit of good humour, then here are a few ideas for what to write in a funny paternity leave card for some tongue-in-cheek humour:

16. You’re looking after the baby? Did you clear it with your wife?
17. I’ve heard you’re going on paternity leave. I’m sorry to say the company doesn’t cover nappy changing and potty training, so you’re on your own when it comes to that.
18. Congratulations on your new baby, this tiny human is now your responsibility, I only hope you can manage them better than you do your team.
19. Enjoy your time off with your family. Try not to worry too much about the chaos that will inevitably descend in your absence.
20. You’re having a baby? I thought you spent enough time already babysitting your team.

Maternity leave quotes

Wish them the best as they take some time away from their busy work life to grow their family with some wise words. Don’t feel you’re the right person to offer such advice? No problem, just take a look at these maternity leave quotes:

21. “We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.” – Henry Ward Beecher
22. “Having a child is like getting a tattoo… on your face. You better be committed.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
23. “Babies are amazing. They begin each day all warm and sleepy and smelling of promise.” – Julia Roberts
24. “There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one.” – Sue Atkins
25. “You know what the great thing about babies is? They are like little bundles of hope. Like the future in a basket.” – Lish McBride

Professional maternity leave farewell wishes to colleagues

When it comes to keeping things professional but still wanting to send your heartfelt wishes, we know this can be tricky to balance. So, you might be wondering exactly how to congratulate a co-worker on a new baby? That’s where we step in and have come up with some professional maternity leave farewell wishes to colleagues that you can use:

26. We’ll miss you so much, no matter who comes in to cover they won’t be able to compare to you! Enjoy your maternity leave and we’ll be here to support you when you return.
27. On your final day at work for a while, we just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate you and are excited for when you finally bring the little one into the office.
28. Maternity is all about taking some time to enjoy the new life you brought into the world, savour it!
29. Congrats on your growing family! The team won’t be the same without you and we already can’t wait for you to return.
30. Sending all the best wishes as the date approaches. I know you’re not gone forever but you have such a strong presence at work and are going to be dearly missed.

Maternity leave wishes from boss

Perhaps you’re actually somebody’s boss? Ease their mind as they go off for maternity leave and let them know just how valued of an employee they are with these maternity leave wishes from their boss:

31. If you’re half as good a mum as you are at your job (which I already know you will be) then that baby is extremely blessed.
32. As your boss, I’m giving you all the permission to relax and enjoy this time with your newborn and can’t wait to hear all the funny stories when you’re back.
33. I’ve been pushing you to take it easy and now you literally have no choice since you’re about to give birth! But on a more serious note, massive congratulations to
34. you and sending warm wishes.
35. Expanding your family is a huge deal so make sure to focus on you and your new little angel, and don’t forget we’re always here for whatever you need.
36. I hope you know just how big of a hole you’re going to leave and whilst we can’t wait for you to get back we also hope that your time away is filled with love, happiness, and rest.

How to support someone after maternity leave

But what about after maternity leave is over? When someone comes back to work, it’s normal that they may take some time to get back into the swing of things. That’s why it’s important that you do your part to support them, and here are some ideas of how you can do just that:

• Leave them a little note for when they get back at their desk letting them know how much you missed them and how glad you are that they’re back and that the baby is doing well.
• Don’t expect them to fall back into things instantly. Instead, give them time and space to get into a routine again as it’s all going to feel a bit foreign after so long.
• Make sure they understand that things might have changed since they were last working and there’s no shame in asking for help if they’re struggling.
• Let them know that they can take things as slowly as needed and that it’s okay to take a break if they need a rest.

With all our suggestions, you should have plenty of ideas for what to write in a maternity card. But do you know what else goes well with one of our maternity leave cards? A thortful gift to help celebrate their return. Flowers, candles, chocolate – we’ve got everything you need to send the prospective parents off in style! Now with a gift and maternity leave message prepared, it’s time to pick out a card and below we’ve selected some of our favourites.

If you’ve picked up another card for a different special occasion coming up be sure to head over to the thortful blog where we’ve got even more helpful what to write guides like this one covering every event imaginable!