Can you believe my daughter is already 6 weeks old?!?! That means I’m already 6 weeks postpartum AND 6 weeks into my maternity leave, aka halfway through the 12 weeks of leave I receive from my corporate role. What is time?!?!
This leave has felt different. Less pressure. Less stress. More accepting of the newborn bubble. More fluid. More understanding.
Which is wild, because the weeks leading up to it were anything but.
If you were holding my hand through my last month of pregnancy, you know I was being TESTED. Our ejector pump failed. Sewer water flooded the lower level of our house. A mitigation project, followed by a reconstruction project. Living between a house under construction and my in-laws. Working full speed at the tech startup. Trying to wrap up work here at my consulting firm.
Oh yeah, and experiencing prodromal labor for the last 3 weeks of pregnancy. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s labor pains, but your body doesn’t progress into active labor. Likely due to all the stress I was under.
I don’t have a script or a framework for you this week. Instead, I wanted to do something we don’t do enough of at work: check in wholeheartedly, catch up, and say hi. You’ve been in my corner through many seasons, and I want to let you into this one too. Because it’s been different.
So what have I been up to on maternity leave? WELL, glad you asked 😉
My daughter (surprise! It’s a girl!) was born 4 days early. But leading up to that day… I actually ended up in Labor and Delivery two weeks prior because I was having consistent labor pains. Since they weren’t progressing, I was sent home.
The following Thursday, I had a routine check-in at my OB’s office. I met with a new OB that day, and she was an angel on earth when she simply asked, “How’s your mental health?” I was so overwhelmed, in pain, and uncomfortable that I broke down crying. She generously offered to write me a doctor’s note to stop work the following week. She will always be someone I think of as someone who listens and extends grace and compassion. May we all strive to offer that in our workdays!
I wrapped up work on a Monday, officially started my leave on a Tuesday, and she was born that Friday night.
Which brought me to meeting my daughter, and the most peaceful, serene and surreal mornings together in the hospital.
You guessed it… that didn’t last long once we brought her home to my 5 year old, my 3 year old, and our dog, haha!
In these short, sweet 6 weeks I’ve learned that these 3 things can be true and fluid at the same time:
1. Chaos and calm.
We dealt with a lice situation (SOS). My son came home with strep throat (because of course). Feeding, changing, sleeping, burping. On repeat. And yet, I’ve welcomed the newborn bubble instead of being frustrated by the constant cycle of being needed. I know time is fleeting, nothing lasts forever, and this is a season.
2. Supported and unsupported.
I’m thankful to work for a female CEO who understands the gravity of pregnancy and putting your health first. She let me take PTO for those 3 days before my leave so I didn’t have to eat into my official leave days. We’ve welcomed help from my in-laws, my mom, and my dad. AND my husband had zero leave days. It’s 2026. Why isn’t parental leave a standard form of care?
3. Work and rest.
On a limited basis, I’m still keeping up with networking meetings, my inbox, and posting on social media. And I’m resting. Not one or the other. Both, in whatever amounts this season allows.
Perspective is a beautiful thing
With my 1st, I was overwhelmed by every aspect of parenting, postpartum and my new identity. With my 2nd, I was so burned out from work that I didn’t want to touch a computer. Now, with my 3rd, I’m okay with balance: between work and rest, chaos and calm, and the evolution of who I’m becoming as a mom and a business owner.
As my husband said one night, “You’re an experienced mom.”
Nailed my performance review as a 3rd time mom. Experience.
If you’re going through a challenging season, keep going. All seasons change. And you don’t have to choose between the hard part and the good part. Both can be true.
If you need someone to vent to, I’m right here. That’s what Career Civility is for: recognizing the humanity in work and communicating through every degree of change.
Email me at jenna@careercivility.com. I’d love to hear what season you’re in.
