It's working for Rachel Blumenthal
New York, NY
2 children
"Instead of booking my days solid, I prioritized time spent with my new baby."
Prep for pumping before the baby arrives – sterilize all of the parts, buy the Pumpease hands-free bra and learn how to use your pump before your boobs are in pain and you’re stressed out.
As the CEO and Founder of Cricket’s Circle I didn’t have to share the news with an employer but I am equally, if not more responsible to my team. I waited until I was about 4.5 months to share the news as I wanted to get through all of the early days of tests (which nobody talks about and are so stressful!) before I shared the news. As for my second pregnancy, I was able to give them a decent sense of what life would be like for me post baby so they knew what to expect. I also half-jokingly promised I would be around until the day my daughter was born – as with my son, my daughter also arrived on her due date and I was in the office up until the day before her arrival.
Medela, my devoted pump, is key in ensuring I am able to be away from my baby but still deliver her the nutrients she needs.
As the founder of an early stage start-up I didn’t have the luxury of taking a formal maternity leave. That being said, I also had the flexibility of determining what was going to be right for me. I was back at the office after 2 weeks but about 2 weeks in I realized I was being a little too ambitious and it was important to enjoy the early days with my daughter so I started going in late and returning home early which was a nice balance for me. Instead of booking my days solid, I prioritized time spent with my new baby.
My husband is tremendously supportive of anything I want to do. My indulgence? Naps!