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

Relax and enjoy every single minute because it goes way too fast!

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

I didn’t tell anyone for 12 weeks and much longer on our third because my husband was traveling for work, so we couldn’t tell our kids for 17 weeks and we wanted them to be the first to know! I didn’t tell people I worked with for several months.

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?

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

Since I’m self employed I went back to work immediately. I work from home, so I’m incredibly lucky. I just traveled to NYC with my baby, who’s one month old, for a job. It was an adventure!

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

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

My husband. He would like me to take more time, but I love what I do. We’re blessed to have amazing and supportive parents, friends, and a nanny who help with big smiles.

My indulgence was making a Pregnancy Smoothie every day and still do now that I’m nursing!

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

I never expected finding time for balance would be so hard and watching hours tick by playing with my kids would be so much easier!

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