Times certainly have changed.  Women are having babies later in life and are higher up on the career ladder than ever before.  While it may seem that those two things are counter productive, I tend to think of them as good things.

How many times have you heard from family members or friends about how hard it was to afford diapers? The cost of having a child is so expensive, etc.  I know that if we would have had a baby when we were newly married, the financial struggle would indeed have been real.  Not only that, I strongly believe it may have stunted my career growth, so as they always say timing is everything and things happen when they are meant to be.

The day after I found out I was pregnant, my promotion to Vice President was announced at work.  Two dreams, two goals I had worked so tirelessly for came true in a 24 hour span.  G-d sure was smiling down on me.  I felt so proud and accomplished and knew that I had to be perfect at both new roles.  After all, I always do everything 110% percent.  Ladies, don’t we always? 😉

Managing a department of 5 people constantly in demand keeps me busy for sure and at times my pregnancy wore me out just a bit.  I had to learn that it was OK to go to sleep early and not respond to calls and emails after 10pm.  It didn’t make me any less successful or needed, it just allowed me to rest and be my best self.

During my pregnancy I had to learn to slow down a bit.  I traveled to Israel and to Washington, DC and quickly realized my limitations.  I delegated an upcoming San Francisco trip to my assistant and not only did that help me, it was great to give her the opportunity.  Part of being a good leader is letting go and allowing for your team to grow.  I felt good knowing that this was one of the many opportunities my maternity leave would give to my team.

From the time I announced my pregnancy at work I began to plan for my maternity leave.  I wanted to make sure every i was dotted and every t was crossed.  No matter how advanced the world has gotten with regards to women in the work place, there is still a stigma for women having children, whether it is real or imagined, that is to be determined.  I did not want to leave anyone in my office, my team and my boss most importantly, stressed out or questioning my ability to lead.  I also wanted to make sure I would come back to a working team with minimal issues and concerns from my time off.

If you are a working mom to be, try not to sweat every little thing.  Don’t believe people when they say you can’t do it all because you can.  You just have to learn to do it a little differently.  Maybe it is on a different timeline, or maybe it is with a little extra support, but in 2018 you can have it all.  If anyone tells you otherwise, ignore them.