Why I Enjoy Being a Working Mom

I enjoy being a working mom. The reason that I want to write about this is because I had no idea if this was something that I would ever feel. Before I found out that I was pregnant, the plan was always to go back to work once we had kids.

When I was pregnant, I felt pretty much the same way that it would not be too hard to go back to work after the baby was born. Then, once I had Adalyn, my feelings changed, a lot. I never wanted to leave her. During my 10 week maternity leave, I left her maybe 3 times for a couple of hours and those were to run errands. I wanted to spend every waking moment with Adalyn. Being a mom was (and is!) the best experience of my life.

Three weeks before my maternity leave was over, I started to dread going back to work. It was bad. Every time I thought about going back to work, I would cry. I remember going out to coffee with my mom and crying. Many times during dinner, I would just start to cry. I didn't want to leave my baby. These feelings continued until I had to go back to work.

The first day back was rough. I called my mom (who was taking care of Adalyn) in tears. I missed my baby so much. After the first day, it got easier. I rearranged things so that when I was home with Adalyn, I was truly with her, not blogging, not doing other things, but spending time with my baby.


I am very fortunate that right now, I work 4 days at the office and 1 day from home which allows me to spend that one day each week with her. This is incredible and definitely helps with the work/life balance. Also, I get out of work fairly early each day so I am able to spend part of the afternoon and evening with Adalyn.

These are the reasons that I enjoy being a working mom:
1. I love my profession- I have my Master's degree and Bachelor's degree in dietetics. I love being a dietitian. It is a huge part of my life. I almost forgot this during my maternity leave but since returning to work, I realize that I am good at what I do and enjoy it. I love food. I love nutrition. I love helping people. This is not an area that I want to give up.

2. Getting things done- During my breaks at work, I use them to get things done. Pay bills, answer emails, write a post, etc. This helps so that when I get home, I can spend time with Adalyn and not spend the whole time doing other things.

3. Adalyn spends time with family- We are so, so lucky that we having family taking care of Adalyn. Between my mom, sister and step-father-in-law, Adalyn has some excellent caregivers that love her. I am happy that she gets to spend time with them.

4. 2 days work, 1 day home, 2 days work- With my current schedule, I work from home on Wednesday which is perfect for me. With it being in the middle of the week, I am never away from Adalyn for too long. I feel that this is the best balance for me and I hope it can stay this way.


5. Makes me appreciate my time at home- When I get home, I am SO excited to see my baby girl. I think about her all day of course so when I get to see her, I am thrilled. Troy and I have the best afternoons with Adalyn. We play with her, dance, sing to her, she smiles at us, etc. It is amazing.


I had the urge to share my feelings in a post like this. Before having Adalyn, I never knew it would be so hard to go back to work. My feelings towards that baby girl are so strong and I love her so much. I am thrilled with my work/life situation right now and feel fulfilled in every way.


Sure, there are days when I do not want to leave her and it is hard. My mother-in-law told me something before I went back to work that stuck with me, "going to work with a baby is hard but it makes coming home each day so much better" and she is so right.

I have nothing against stay-at-home moms and think that it is each woman's choice if she stays home or goes to work after having a baby. This is what works best for my family right now and I respect any decision that a mother makes for what works for her family. My mom was a stay at home mom and that worked great for us too.