Transition into Motherhood
Becoming a mother is just something that comes naturally right? Pregnant with my first child I assumed that this was the case. We had gone through the disappointment of test after test saying “not pregnant” for two years, but for some reason I thought the whole part of becoming a parent was where it would get easier. Never did I think that becoming a parent would change everything of who I was. Let me be clear, I assumed I would love this child and I would enjoy pregnancy (since it took so long to get pregnant). I also assumed that I would return back to work the same person I was when I left on maternity leave, but now with an added family member. To say I was surprised by my new role as a mother is an understatement. I was shocked, completely unprepared, and overwhelmed by motherhood. The truth is my body might have known how to create the life inside of me, but I really did not know what to do once I actually saw this baby.
It might sound like I didn’t spend anytime learning about pregnancy, birth, or what to do when I saw my child. However, we went to classes at the hospital to learn CPR, car safety, breastfeeding class, and what to expect at the hospital when I delivered. We did a hospital tour ahead of time, I researched what kind of birth I wanted, and the things that I needed after baby was born. Ummmm…what I didn’t research and completely missed were the emotional changes and the legit physical changes that happen once you have a baby. Work had been my baby for the past 13 years. Motherhood was like starting over without having a manager to train you and what was more challenging is I didn’t even know what direction I wanted to go in. Did I want to co-sleep? Did I want to swaddle? Did I want visitors? Did I want to keep nursing as painful as it was? Did I want help? Shouldn’t I be more in love with this newborn stage? Is my random crying because I’m exhausted and sleep deprived or something more? Why am I having anxiety when I leave the house? I honestly felt out of control.
It was in the battle of learning motherhood and discovering how to navigate my new role that I realized how necessary it was to start this company. What I really needed is help from mothers who could relate and understand what I was going through. I needed help to build confidence as a new mom and I needed community. I was fortunate to find that support through The New Mom School in Newport Beach, which was built to help moms in the new phase of motherhood. Then it was time to return back to work and I was thrown yet again into another transition to figure out on my own. I remember having panic attacks about returning back to work and struggling to make the phone calls to the organization I worked for to talk about my return. I would try to drive to work and turn around 2 miles in. I just kept thinking working moms need this support too and it was at that moment in the summer of 2014 I started developing the Working Mom Class. We need the village, we need the community, and we need the tools to be successful in returning to work. It shouldn’t just be through a google search. It should be more and it should be something that we know we can depend on each week for support.
You can never be 100% sure of how motherhood is going to impact a woman, especially one who remains focused on her career. My hope is we can help prepare and support women by talking through the real scenarios of what it means to transition into motherhood and return to work. There are so many changes happening at once and we all deserve to learn how to be in the moment with our little ones while building confidence in a community that supports us. With a company that grows with us as we grow our families.
Learning motherhood is my current reality and I find that I am more confident with tools that can help me better navigate my role. This includes lots of support from my community of family, friends, and professionals. I’m a better parent with the help of others, and my aim is that our programs will provide that same level of support to working families.