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

It’s the hardest thing you will ever do physically and emotionally. You really need to be on the same page and have a good focus on your marriage to keep working as a united front and a strong team.

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 breast fed because it worked and wasn’t difficult for me. At 5 months, it was no longer something I felt I needed to do, and I needed freedom and had no interest in pumping at work.

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

2 weeks. I’m self employed. No maternity leave. My husband had none either. He stayed with me at the hospital for 3-4 days and then the first day home he worked from home and then was back to work.

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

Daycare was a mistake for us. A home nanny was a huge lifestyle need and win for us.

What was your biggest challenge going back to work?

Sleep deprivation. I negotiate contracts and deal with large stakes with my job and I didn’t want to be any less sharp than I felt I should be for my clients. It’s fast paced and 24/7.

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

The second one really makes it 3 times as hard.

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