I am three months into this whole mom thing and now officially a working mom. What a whirlwind few months it’s been!
I’ve been nervous about how I am going to handle it all – working full time, caring for my daughter Carmen, and taking care of our dog and home. But today, I am no longer nervous. Maybe that’s because I am privileged in having help. And having a job and boss that’s not only understanding but encouraging. And also because I think once you do have a child, a confidence you never knew was there emerges. At any rate, I am excited about this new chapter in life.
Here is what I know so far (I can’t wait to look back at this post in a year, or five years, or 20 years and laugh at myself!):
- Even if you birth a small baby and push for 20 minutes, the recovery time is REAL. Thankful for doctors who helped in this, and extra thankful for pelvic floor PT (and Robin Arzon from Peloton for making not only workouts for pregnancy, but now postpartum!)
- Not only is maternity leave awful in our country, but we really need better paternity leave, too. I am SO thankful to have had my husband home with me all summer and for this time I’ve had off. Melinda Gates wrote a great piece for TIME recently on the need for national paid leave
- COVID sucks 10 times more when you are pregnant and have a new baby (hi never touch my child ok bye)
- At the same time, I am lucky to continue to be able to work from home so the transition isn’t as daunting
- Facebook groups and online mom forums are great, but don’t spend too much time on them. Information overload. Especially because I’m learning no two babies are alike
- Labor and delivery and NICU nurses are a special type of people we do not deserve
- Babies are like tiny insane people. One minute they are happy the next they are screaming bloody murder
- I never realized I could function on such little sleep. Happy that Carmen is now sleeping fairly well (but I know this could change any time and will continue to ebb and flow)
- The Target app and drive-up function is a godsend. So is Door Dash and Instacart
- Maternity leave is not a time to ask someone about jobs or networking. I had a few people reach out about this stuff and while yes, I love to network and connect, but not when I am sleep-deprived and trying to keep a newborn alive
- I can now do things one-handed like a PRO. And utilize nap time well. I am hoping my time management with work improves too – I have finite time now with work and personal hours
- Poopy diapers and spit-up aren’t that bad
- When your baby first smiles at you it’s the best feeling in the world
- I have NEVER been this emotional in my entire life. I am a big pile of mush
- Women are truly amazing. Giving birth was an amazing experience and I am in awe of what we can do
- I agree with Miranda Hobbes about her entire approach to children
- Social media portrays motherhood as this insanely hard thing and you’ll forever be in the trenches. I want you to know it’s not that bad. YES it’s hard but I think some of these posts go too far. Ask me again what it’s like to have a toddler in a year though 🙂
