It's working for Jessica King
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1 child
"Because we adopted our son on such short notice, we had not made a plan at all. The first few weeks and months were simply one gigantic juggling act."
What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?
I would suggest not looking up every possible ailment/symptom on the internet. I ruined several precious days and nights worrying about potential health issues that never actually materialized.
What was your primary motivation for deciding to return (or not) to work? How early did you tell your employer?
My husband and I own a creative agency, so there was no boss to tell. This was fortunate because we adopted our newborn son with only 2 days notice! We told our team we were going to pick up our new baby the day before. All in all, it was pretty wild.
How much leave did you take, and how comfortable were you taking it?
How easy was it to put a childcare arrangement together and did it work for your family?
Because we adopted our son on such short notice, we had not made a plan at all. The first few weeks and months were simply one gigantic juggling act. We were in the middle of several large projects, so I held our new baby in my arms as I took conference calls and continued to push things along as best I could. I was grateful that our clients and our team, some of them mothers themselves, were very understanding as they heard occasional infant gurgles in the background. In the early days, my son was a great napper, so occasionally, I’d bring him into the office with a pack’n’play. Other days I just stayed home with him and did the best I could on both ends.
Who was your biggest source of support in returning to work? What was your biggest pregnancy indulgence?
My supportive husband and mother-in-law were a tremendous help during this time. My husband and I split duties 50/50 and my mother-in-law watched my son a few days a week. She also helped us find an awesome daycare program since we didn’t have a single thing lined up.
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 getting an infant and myself out of the house on time in the morning would be so hard and working in the office without baby distractions would be so much easier!