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

Enjoy it.  I didn’t and wish I did.

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

I was showing right away, so I had to tell pretty early on.  I’m also not a super private person so I probably wouldn’t have kept it a secret either.  I would say I was about 12 weeks both times.

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

I took 3 months off with my first and went back to work and realized pretty quickly it wasn’t the right job for me as a new mom.  I wanted to continue my career, but the hours were too demanding and left me with many days without seeing my son.  I was working in network news and knew I had to make a change to be able to be the kind of mom I wanted to be and to continue in my career.  So I did.  I was fortunate to be offered an incredible opportunity to work for David Blaine–running his company and producing his tv shows.  It was a much more flexible schedule with periods of travel and intense work, but it was all worth it and it was the perfect fit for me at the time.  I had my 2nd son while working there and didn’t take any time off because we were in the middle of a major production.  I never stopped working.  I was working on the way into the delivery room and back at meetings days later.  I wouldn’t suggest that either :). But it was my choice.  I was running a project and didn’t want to not be a part of it.

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

Fries and ice cream with toppings.  Not much has changed.

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

As a working parent, I never expected who I would be as a mother. It never crossed my mind before. And every day I get to decide that.

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