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

Listen to your intuition! Motherhood would lead you where it needs me to go naturally. You don’t have to worry or seek answers from others.

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

My kids were my motivation to start my own business (Digital Content Creator, Adanna Media, Inc. /Online Influencer at RattlesandHeels.com), something I always wanted to do but was to afraid I would fail. Once I became a mother of two, I became more more bold and passionate about living a full life that I could be proud of.

FOR MOMS: If you breastfed, was there a place for you to pump that met your needs and was conducive to your success? If you breastfed, how did you decide to continue? FOR DADS: What, if any, adjustments did you (or your workplace) make to your schedule after having a baby? Was it specific to your manager or larger, whole work culture?

I breastfed both of my children! When I had my first child, I was in graduate school and I took a semester off while I adjusted into motherhood so I had the freedom to breastfeed and pump as needed. When I returned to school, my daughter would refuse the pumped milk which was very stressful as I would worry about her. There were times, my husband would bring her so I could nurse her quickly in between classes in our car.

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

With my first, I took 3 months off and I believe it was the best decision for me at the time. With my second it was different, within a few weeks I was ready to work.

How easy was it to put a childcare arrangement together and did it work for your family?

It took much longer than I anticipated to find a child care provider that I was comfortable with. Then we discovered that my daughter had food allergies and realized that she wasn’t in the safest environment. There were mornings that I would drop my daughter off and cry the entire way to work on the train because I was so concerned about her safety. Eventually, I found a daycare center that I felt much more comfortable with for her.

Fortunately, with my son I was able to work from home and coordinate with my mother and husband for child care.

When did the “new normal” set in for you?

I think it’s still setting in for me. I struggle with mom guilt because I work from home and I have high expectations about the amount of quality time that I think I should be spending with my children.

What was your biggest challenge going back to work?

Time management and prioritizing are my biggest challenges.

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

My biggest support was my husband who is intuitive to my need for undisturbed time to work and for self-care.

My biggest pregnancy indulgence were pedicures, with both kids I was pregnant during the summer and I did them much more often than I usually do.

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

Fill in the blanks: As a working parent, I never expected work/life balance would be so hard and learning who I am would be so much easier!

As a working parent, a bad day is when _____ and a good day is when _______.

As a working parent, a bad day is when I don’t spend quality time with my children and a good day is when get to enjoy my family and I am productive at work, I feel like super woman.

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