Working Mom

It has been one year to the day since I went back to work after giving birth to Brooklyn. After only 4 weeks of maternity leave I went back working full time. I wanted to write down of few of my thoughts on this subject. I could write a whole book on this subject and I love discussing it with other women, but here is just the brief version of my story as a working mom.

My thoughts on being a working mom have drastically changed in the past year. A year ago I was so worried and stressed about leaving my baby and I wanted nothing more than to just stay at home all day and take care of her, clean the house, grocery shop and cultivate my little home. After 4 weeks of maternity leave I wanted nothing to do with that life I thought I wanted. I was 2 hours early to work on the day I went back. I was so excited to see my friends at work, catch up on all the things that were put off during my maternity leave and get back into a structured routine. I loved being with my sweet little baby but I also loved working and accomplishing some of my own goals. 

The first few months were a little hard striking a balance between home life and work life, breastfeeding, and still being a wife. I ultimately decided to stop breast feeding after 2 months. This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made but also the best decision I made for my little family. It just wasn't something that was in the cards for my with this baby, but I learned so many things I will do differently with my next.

After the 2 month mark I felt so much more confident in my routine. And I finally came to the terms with the fact that my house won't ever be as clean as I want it (at least not while I am working). Once I let go of that expectation I felt so much less stressed and more able to enjoy the present moment and not always worry about getting my house cleaned and the laundry done. I truly love where I am at this point in my life.

Don't get my wrong, there are plenty of days that I would love nothing more than to sleep in, or stay home with my babe all day and get my house in tip top shape. And it hurts when I miss big milestones in Brooklyn's life (crawling for the first time), and sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. But the days where I am excited to go to work and love all that I have accomplished in my career greatly outweigh the days I want to stay home and for that I am grateful. 

I know without a doubt that I need to be a working mom at this point in my life. This is where I need to be. I am helping my little family progress and accomplish so many of our family goals. We are a team and right now this is my role. It has been amazing to see all the blessings I have received because of this. I have a husband that is constantly picking up my slack in all aspects of my life. I don't miss my baby while I'm at work. I get to work from home one day a week. I have a mom and husband that are so willing to take care of my baby while I'm at work and give her just as much love as I would. My mom and husband send me pics and videos of Brooklyn all day. Brooklyn gets to spend so much time with her grandparents. I could go on and on.

I am so grateful I have the opportunity to work and support my family right now. I know this is just one phase in my life and I won't always be working, but for now I am loving the balance I have between home life and work life. I love that I get to build my career and develop skills that will benefit me thoroughout my life. I love that I get to see the Lord's hand in my life. I will forever be grateful for this time in my life.

And when the time comes for me to move onto the next stage in my life it will be hard, and another transition and learning phase will begin. But I hope and pray that I can always love each stage in my life, no matter what it is.

I also wanted to share this blog post that another working mom posted. This is almost exactly how I feel about being a working mom but she is better with words than I am.