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

The once piece of advice I could’ve told myself is to live in the moment, enjoy it, because it all flashes by so quickly. I was so stressed having my first child, especially when it came to nursing, and knowing whether or not I was doing it correctly. Through it all, I was too worried, and I wasn’t enjoying being a new mom because I was just too tired and stressed. I recently passed this advice on to a close friend who just had a baby. Now, when I see her and her newborn, I completely notice the difference.

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

For me, I owned my own business so returning to work was a given. I actually ended up telling my employees the minute I found out. We were only a group of five people in a small office, so it was bound to get out.

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

I had planned on taking three months maternity leave, and then I was going to come back to my business part time, but in the final months of pregnancy I completely freaked. The idea of being a new mom and a business owner completely overwhelmed me, so I decided to sell my company. I offered it to an employee who I knew could carry on the legacy, and she accepted. The sale was finalized the week after I gave birth. I am happy to say she still owns the business, and it’s still thriving after all these years.

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

I never expected that balancing my work schedule and the kids’ busy schedules would be so hard. In retrospect, nursing was so much easier!

OTHER STORIES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN