Pregnant and a working woman? Ya, me too. I’m expecting my second child in a month or so, and there are many conflicting career moments you have when the baby is on the way.
None of this is to say I’m not excited. I am beyond thrilled to grow my family, especially after two miscarriages and difficulty conceiving.
But, I’m still a working woman going through the motions day in and day out.
Here are the top things I’ve realized while pregnant and in the prime of my career:
- You see another job posted that you’re really interested in but know you have to let it go (for now). And this gives you fomo.
- You wonder if you’re secure in your current job only because you’re pregnant
- Opportunities in your current job start to pass you by i.e. your boss says “Oh, so and so can take that on” but you know it’d be yours if you were staying
- You feel checked out ahead of maternity leave. Four weeks, three weeks, two weeks to go? Why bother?
- Your colleagues feel like you’re leaving them forever (and that may be true, a lot can change in a year)
- You can’t be as transparent as you need to be with recruiters, and this tears you up inside. You can’t just say ‘thanks for thinking of me, but I’ll only be available next September’ so you make up some excuse for not wanting the opportunity right now.
- Your days leading up to mat leave are filled with conflict and guilt (conflict for not working as hard as you could and taking your foot off the gas, guilt for those same reasons)
- You have a “f*CK it” attitude towards the work you’re leaving your team with. Oh, our teams’ OKRs are shifting? Who cares.
- You are uncertain about the future and how you’ll feel if/when you go back to work.
- You really wish you could have a glass of wine this evening and sit back to ponder all of the above. OK, you can, just minus the wine.
What is on your mind when you’re counting the days til the baby’s due at your job?
ademoiselle 