It's Working Project

“The first time around I would’ve also told myself to relax a little more.”

What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?

To be easier on myself. Being a parent is hard, and being pregnant the second time around I was so caught up in everything, I felt like I didn’t enjoy it or the time I had with my daughter before her sister came along.

The first time around I would’ve also told myself to relax a little more.

What was your primary motivation for deciding to return (or not) to work? How early did you tell your employer?

The first time around, I sought advice from the office manager, who had been with the company for a while, on how to talk to my boss. In the end, I sat down with my supervisor and told him not to be surprised if I looked a little rounder in the coming months. We laughed. It was a big relief. I was about 5 months along when I told them, I had recently started working for them, so I was further along.

The second time around my boss suspected I was pregnant, he said he just had an intuition. Turns out he was right. I went for my first appointment under the guise I needed a new doctor because we just moved to the area, and came back with an ultrasound of the baby. I was about 8 weeks along when I told them.

How much leave did you take, and how comfortable were you taking it?

With Amirah I took 3 months. With Mafory, I’ll be heading back in a week or so, so it’s just around 10 weeks. This time around it’s a little more fluid in terms of return.

 

Who was your biggest source of support in returning to work? What was your biggest pregnancy indulgence?

My husband, he stayed home with our first daughter for some time, so that made the transition easier. It will be the same this time around with our second daughter. If not for him, there would’ve been many, many more tearful days before returning to the office.

Fill in the blanks: As a working parent, I never expected ____ would be so hard and ____ would be so much easier!

As a working parent, I never expected the guilt would be so hard/daunting and I don’t know if anything is easier, I think you learn to adapt and adjust to make it work.

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