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

Expect the unexpected. (I had no idea that I would entirely change careers.)

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

I intended on returning to work after a year of maternity leave. By the 9th month of my leave, I realized that I would not return and let my former employer know.

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 worked from home and was freely able to breastfeed.

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

First Child – one year; Second Child – one week (I had changed careers and was writing from home at that point.)

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

It was not easy. I’m very particular about whom I leave my children with and primarily use family or friends from church when I need to go to outside of the home for work meetings and events.

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

Once I made the decision to work from home, it became my new reality.

What was your biggest challenge going back to work?

Not going back to an office with a regular schedule was challenging. I have to be a lot more self-disciplined to get everything done work-wise.

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

My biggest support in working for myself has been my husband. Although he is a teacher (with a much less flexible schedule) now, he was a computer programmer when I initially gave birth to our sons. He had a flexible schedule and could work from home when needed so that helped out a lot.

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

Working from home, I never expected that “turning work off” would be so hard and “integrating my kids into my work” would be so much easier. (My family loves all of the fun “perks” that come along with being a blogger.). Read Kimberly’s blog at Mominthecity.com

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

As a working parent, a bad day is when my kids are sick and I have work deadlines and a good day is when both my family and my clients are happy with my efforts.

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