I went back to work 6 weeks after my first baby was born. In hindsight, this was a mad thing to do, however, I had to make it work, so I did.
Now I am sure there will be those out there thinking Why would you do that ?! And I would agree with them …. to a point. But my career to me, at the time, was super important – it still is. Except now, my children have greater importance in my life, so I juggle to make it all work. Perfectly ?? Nope. But manageable most of the time ??, YES. My goal is for just good enough in all areas. Did I meet my client deadline, YES [ just !]. Did my children brush their teeth every day this week. Mostly …..???!…. Did we over-achieve on the weekly hug quota ?!?, Fudge, YES !
Juggling a newborn and a career can be done. If you have the luxury of maternity leave – then take it and enjoy every minute. I did not. I was a communications consultant with a reputation built on delivery and visibility. What I managed to do for the first 12 months after mini-human 1 was born, was to negotiate an assignment that could be done entirely from home. This was unheard of in the pre-Covid era. But my boundaries and non-negotiables were firmly set for me. I wanted to carry on with career AND be there for little person as much as possible. I redefined the concept of Having it All to suit MY circumstances. I continued to secure new assignments every 12-18 months based on my reputation. Once a new assignment was secured, I advised the client that I would deliver the workload through a ‘non-traditional timeframe’. Therefore, they would hear from me from 9.30am.-2.30pm (present in an office if needed) and 4-6.30pm from home, thus allowing for nursery drop-off and pick-up logistics.
The niggling elements of self-doubt and fear of peer judgement were always there, but my FUDGE IT feeling was greater – I had a mini-human to keep alive and part of that meant being with her and NOT in an office.
I was clear on both my working mother and career goals and these evolved naturally as motherhood progressed.
My working mother goal was simple. I wanted to be the face they saw at nursery/school pick-up time. [My working mother had always achieved this.] I had seen too many disengaged nannies* doing the school pick-up in central London. It was unsettling. [*Some of the nannies were lovely, but they were in a minority.]
My career goal was simple: I wanted to continue securing really interesting assignments. I was not looking to become the next CEO or Director somewhere fancy. I wanted to add real value through interesting projects I was working on. My day rate increased because of my experience and not because I was emotionally attached to a job title.
So, my advice on how to juggle a baby and a career:
- Be clear on your working mother goals
- Be clear on your career goals
- Communicate clearly with your client /boss
- Build a support network
- Be clear on your boundaries and non-negotiables
- Check in with your mini-humans regularly to see if you are in or out of balance. They have a superpower radar for this !!!
- Fulfil the hug quota DAILY. Non-negotiable !!!!
You’ve got this. Aim for survival initially, then just good enough will kick in, and this really is a lovely place to be. Xx
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