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

Trust in what you can do and work to be able to do what you love.

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

I formerly worked at the Food Network, when it was a startup. It consumed all of my time. I decided to leave for 3 reasons: 1. We were moving to Dutchess County and the commute was over 2 hours and 2. I was planning on having another child, and I wanted to spend more time with my son while he was still a toddler and 3. I wanted to focus on working part time and concentrate more on my singing.
I told my employer a few weeks before I was leaving.

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 didn’t go back to the same workplace after having a baby, nor did I bring my daughter to many places that I was singing after she was born. If I did bring her, I was able to have privacy if I needed it.

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

This wasn’t so much leave as it was transitioning.

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

We had quite a struggle finding babysitters. The services available to moms living in Dutchess County were few and far between. It was really catch as catch can!

When did the “new normal” set in for you?

Right away. It was so refreshing to get away from an every day grind.  I loved being at home with my son.

What was your biggest challenge going back to work?

Child care, to be honest. I had a very hard time juggling things. Sometimes when I’d be singing in the city, I’d have to drive down with both children to meet my husband, who would then drive them home while I’d stay in the city to sing, then I’d take the train home. We learned a lot of songs in the car, and listened to a lot of books on cd!

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

My husband really supported me. He did that drive hundreds of times. It wasn’t easy on him. My pregnancy indulgence was peanut butter.

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 finding child care would be so hard, and that working would be so much easier!

As a working parent, a bad day is when _____ and a good day is when _______.

As a working parent, a bad day is when I come home to the kids arguing and asking me for a million things, no matter what time I arrive home, and a good day is when the kids have looked after themselves with no fighting, and no throwing things, and they’ve done their chores! It rarely happens.

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