Blane

Mom to Zoe

Length of Mat Leave: 5 months

Childcare: Nanny

What did you struggle with most about returning to work after having your kids?

Finding time to pump! Everyone at work was supportive but felt like I was struggling pumping 3x a day and getting my work done.

What do you find difficult about being a working parent?

While on maternity leave, I was able to do a lot for the baby and around the house. When I went back to work, it was hard to do everything I used to do when I was not working.

What do you enjoy about being a working parent?

Being able to show my daughter to be a strong and independent!

After being back at work for some time, have your views about career and family changed?

I always knew it was always family over work but I didn't really know what that meant. I now know to not feel guilty about putting my child first and wish I knew what that really meant so I could have been more sympathetic to all coworkers in the past that had children - I had no idea what their struggles were like!

Knowing what you know now, what’s one thing you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself as you were preparing to return to work or getting ramped up in your role?

To not be so hard on myself on how/when to pump at work. I was pushing myself to keep going but I should have stopped earlier. My only goal was to have the baby have breast milk for 6 months at least and once I reached that, I should not have been so hard on myself.

What did you choose for childcare, and how has it been for your family?

Nanny. Nanny had some personal situations come up and I had to WFH/take care of the baby last minute. It was really hard and stressful to be dependent on that 1 person and have them not able to work for a bit. In addition, not getting frustrated with that because you want to keep the nanny so happy since they are watching your most precious little love.