It's working for Erin H
Cincinnati, Ohio
children
"There was not really a question as to who would go back to work immediately. My husband was further in his career, we planned to breastfeed exclusively and I wanted to be home with the babies."
What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?
No one knows your needs if you don’t express them.
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 had pumped when the twins were newborns to have extra milk, for trips, mom’s night outs, so their dad could do night time feedings, etc. I stopped when they were about 8 or 9 months as I was not working and was always with them. It felt too time consuming to be worthwhile and they could skip a feeding or wait a couple of hours at that point. I had planned to pump again, but did not pump when I went back to work recently because of the girls’ age and need. They didn’t nurse as often as a baby or younger toddler and only missed one feeding 3 days a week.
What was your biggest challenge going back to work?
Finding a position that covered childcare and still provided enough additional income to make it worthwhile. I had also been browsing work-from-home opportunities before my offer arose and it seemed hard to distinguish which companies were reputable or to find meaningful work (transcription seemed to be the best/only option). It seems that if you don’t know someone, have already worked for a company, or want to start your own business, it’s hard to find a good work-from-home situation. After accepting the job, I started within a week, so we scrambled to find childcare and worried about the separation. But I think it’s been great for the girls to get that socialization at daycare as it was winter when I started and I was bad at setting up playdates in general.