It's working for Claire P
Florence, Kentucky
1 child
You need help. If help is offered, take it. If help is not offered, try asking for it. They don't say, "It takes a village to raise a child" for nothing.
What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?
I wish that I had paid more attention to friendships and personal relationships before I had my daughter. I have since learned that lesson and made amends for it, but I was not as social as I am now before I got pregnant. I focused too much on work. I think a support network more like the one I have now would have made my transition into motherhood better.
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?
My daughter could not latch due to her size and I had to pump so much in the first few weeks that I hated it by the time we switched to bottle feeding.
How much leave did you take, and how comfortable were you taking it?
12 weeks. I felt that this was a good amount of time, but if I had a longer leave period I would have taken it.
What was your biggest challenge going back to work?
I had a hard pregnancy and initial few weeks after birth. I was scared and tired and unsure how I was going to make everything work out.
Who was your biggest source of support in returning to work? What was your biggest pregnancy indulgence?
Not officially, but I had other female attorneys at work who had children too.