Four weeks to go. The blood sugar is under control and the baby is big, but not too big according to my doctors. My living room is finally (albeit temporarily) unearthed from beneath the piles of gifts and baby supplies as we slowly organize and put away. The nursery is almost finished. We have chosen our daycare and a pediatrician. This is the time that I’m supposed to just put my feet up and wait to feel my first contraction, right?
Not so much. I, of course, have the regular anxieties that every first-time mom has about labor and the initial days after coming home from the hospital. But I haven’t had much time to worry about any of those things because just a few days ago I got a promotion! I’ve been doing this new job for the last few months anyway, as the position has been vacant since December, but now it’s real. I’m a “Director,” running a department with a staff of my own and enjoying a much bigger office. There seems to be so much to do, and with my Type-A-former-attorney personality, I find it hard to say no to any project even if it means I have to complete every one before this baby comes.
I recognize how extremely lucky I am to be granted a promotion and a raise, when I’m in this “condition.” The reality is that it doesn’t happen very often for women. I’m grateful to have an amazing boss who is a working mother, herself, and who sees a lot of her own drive in me. She not only fought to get my promotion approved, but she also supported my application for a flex schedule after my leave so that I can spend one half day per week at home with my son. On top of all that, she’s encouraged me to work up a support network of other mothers at the office and to take the time to talk to those women about the challenges of being a working mom. Naturally, I want to repay all of her support and encouragement by being the best Director she’s ever had. I have confidence in my ability to rise to the challenge, but that confidence starts to wane every time I think about being able to be the best Director and the best mother.
The specific worries are numerous. Even with the decision to hire a house cleaner, I worry about keeping up a house. Will I still be able to cook a tasty dinner for my family each night? Will I be able to keep up a modest, and mostly local, travel schedule while also trying to pump breastmilk? What about being able to keep up my appearance for work with the occasional workout or mani/pedi? Will the laundry get done/dog get walked/groceries get purchased? Most importantly, will my husband and son feel as if they are getting enough of my time and attention?
While I respect whatever choice a mother makes about whether or not she will work after having kids, I’ve always known I would continue working as a mom. My mother did it and I credit her example with fostering the very work ethic that has gotten me where I am today. Like my mother, I also have to provide a second income for financial reasons, but I see working as a great way to show my son that women can do it all. That is, if I can do it all.
Working mom readers: How did you keep your wits about you after you went back to work? What were your sacrifices? Were there ways in which you amazed yourselves by being able to do more than you’d thought you could?
is a lovely coffee table book that tells the company’s story. And, while it may sound like a bit of a snooze – it’s not! The coolest part of a very visually lovely book is following a horse being created from the very beginning of the process until the finished product. It’s really amazing to see all the hands that touch a single toy before my kids’ hands do. Even my son loves leafing through the book to see the horse transform.
is $120 and the 
by Kathryn Otoshi is a book I will never tire of reading. The book is deceptively simple, but the message is important and told in a manner that’s easy for preschoolers to understand.
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