It's working for Lisa K.
New York, NY
2 children
"As a working parent, a bad day is when my girls are not happy when I leave them at daycare and a good day is when I pick them up and see their smiling faces."
What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?
Everything will be ok.
What was your primary motivation for deciding to return (or not) to work? How early did you tell your employer?
It was never a question if I was going back to work or not. Between my husband and I, we do well and we want to be able to give our children a nice life – which will never be an issue if we are both working out of the house. When I had my second daughter I took 8 week FMLA due to a c section and then the rest to meet the 12 weeks total, I was able to take using my vacation days and sick days.
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’m currently exclusively breastfeeding my daughter so I pump in my office, which isn’t an issue. They are rooms if you don’t have an office that you can definitely use. I breastfed my first daughter until I physically couldn’t anymore.
How much leave did you take, and how comfortable were you taking it?
I was out 12 weeks total and felt totally comfortable.
How easy was it to put a childcare arrangement together and did it work for your family?
It was pretty easy as we already had our first child in the same one.
When did the “new normal” set in for you?
3 months later and it is still surreal that my husband and I have 2 children. Though we couldn’t imagine life without 2 now.
What was your biggest challenge going back to work?
Getting myself and 2 girls ready in the morning. My husband goes into work super early but thankfully he is usually home when we get home so that is super helpful.
Who was your biggest source of support in returning to work? What was your biggest pregnancy indulgence?
All my friends and family. It’s never easy so hearing from them definitely helped. My biggest pregnancy indulgence was sweets.
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 traveling would be so hard and actually working and not seeing them all day 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 my girls are not happy when I leave them at daycare and a good day is when I pick them up and see their smiling faces.