Motherhood is not easy, everything from doctors’ visits to diets is tiring.
People give you advice that what to do or not. One thing that not many people bring up is how early couples need to be thinking about childcare. A more important question comes after the delivery when a working lady thinks about leaving her baby with a stranger in a matter of weeks.
This mom was terrified at just the thought of finding a trustworthy care provider and also affording it as well.
“I was stressed about the cost of childcare – and a stranger taking care of my baby- and a stranger taking care of my baby- from the time I was probably 12 weeks pregnant,” said Emily Reed of Washington. “It was this looming dark cloud in our home because of the cost, but what neither my husband nor I thought about was if there was any availability for infant-care in our area.
(People should really tell you to plan for childcare during your pregnancy instead of all the other unsolicited advice, but I digress!)
Emily started thinking about not working, not going back to a job that she enjoyed.
But, it was not easy to leave that income to support her family. “After months of feeling unsettled at work, I finally expressed my anxiety to my manager. Her first response? ‘Just bring her with you when you come back! We can have an office baby!’ It was unbelievable.
She can’t be serious! But she and almost everyone in the office were so excited and supportive and ready for baby P to join the team!”
Emily spent 6 weeks of maternity leave with her baby, then got back to her work schedule. Her husband watched Baby P the first day back just so she could adjust, and from then on she brought her in every day. Each day she tried to do as much work as possible before her nap, and co-workers lending a hand during bathroom breaks or just a moment of focus. The level of support was incredible.
“There were a few downsides like missing phone calls, not making meetings, and nursing- but the peace of mind that Baby P is with me and I don’t have to pay on expensive caretaker was worth it.”
Things started to change after a few months, and Emily started working from home and got her dad to take the baby a few days a week so that she could catch up on work. Emily and her husband also managed to get on the waiting list for real daycare during that time and were able to get Baby P in sooner than they thought.
Emily set the bar for other pregnancies though and her office has an employee that will be in the same situation after her little one arrives. It just showed that an accommodating and supportive work environment can really make a difference in the loyalty of employees. This story is really inspiring for other pregnant working ladies.
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