GOING back to work for the first time after having a baby is a daunting experience for any mum, however you feel about your job.

Mothers returning to work can face a mixture of emotions from excitement, to fear about whether they are still able to do the work and if their employer will be supportive, as well as anxiety at the thought of leaving their baby.

Now the NCT, the UK's leading childbirth charity, is asking women to share their feelings in a nationwide ‘Mums going back to work survey’.

In collaboration with HR consultant and researcher Liz Morris, the charity will develop ‘tool kits’ from the survey results to help women prepare for the workload and get back into a routine, as well as assisting companies to manage their employees' return to work.

Liz Morris says: “The demands of caring for a child can be radically different to the demands of the workplace. Women often face realistic anxieties about juggling their new family and their work commitments.

“Research shows companies that adopt a positive and constructive approach to a woman’s return achieve a smooth transition and a happier and more productive outcome for all those concerned.”

Women currently make up just under half of the labour force and by 2010 one in five workers will be mothers, according to figures from the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

There are advantages for employers who welcome back staff after maternity leave, with BERR estimating that returners save companies about £13.2 million every year on staff recruitment and training.

To take part in the “Mums going back to work survey', visit www.mumsgoingbacktowork.com before November 30. All those who register will be entered into a £200 prize draw.

A range of advice has already come out of the survey, according to Liz Morris, who has put together the following tips: Assign roles and responsibilities at home. Sit down with your partner and go through everything that needs to be done in the household and assign roles.

Plan childcare. Have three or four trial sessions or, if you can afford it, book your child into childcare for two weeks before you go back to work so you don't have to deal with the heart-breaking separation on your first day back.

Ask to have a reinduction programme on your first day back at work. Even if you've only been off for three months, staff and their roles will have changed.

Make time for your relationship with your partner. Book a babysitter in once a month, so you can go out just the two of you.

Find a support group. It really helps if you’ve got a number of friends who are going through or have recently gone through the same thing.

Know your rights. You can find out just what you're entitled to at www.workingfamilies.org.uk.

Put a family organiser somewhere prominent in the kitchen and use that to schedule everything.

Have a back-up plan for drop offs and pick ups in case you get stuck in traffic or on a train. Ask a neighbour or friend to stand in and let childcare know who that person is.

Prepare everything up front to make your life smoother. Have a shower before you go to bed, put out your clothes as well as your children’s.

Have a confidence boost. Buy yourself some new back-to-work clothes or shoes, have a facial or simply write down all your strengths and what you have learnt on maternity leave, including things like crisis management.