Comments on: A Week in the Life of a Working Mom

By: My Struggle to Make It Through Split-Shift Parenting | The Bump Blog – Pregnancy and Parenting News and Trends

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:26:31 +0000

[...] A Week in the Life of a Working Mom [...]

By: Ivanka Trump Is Pregnant With Baby Number 2! | The Bump Blog – Pregnancy and Parenting News and Trends

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:53:30 +0000

[...] mama-to-be, Ivanka, dished to the Redbook on what it’s like to be a “working” mama, even though she hates that term. She said, ““Incidentally, I hate the expression [...]

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:10:45 +0000

Having been both a SAHM with my first 2 little ones in my first marriage (now 16 & 18), and now a working mom with a 3 year old and pregnant again, I can tell you that being a working mom is BY FAR more difficult than staying home. BUT the rewards are also so much greater. My children are so proud when someone asks them what I do (I’m a surgical nurse) and they can tell them that in addition to being a mommy, I save lives for a living. My husband is extremely involved, and our children know that he is not just there to make the money and pay the bills..we are equal partners in this adventure. AND I do it all while meeting the needs of my children, husband and self. You just have to be creative & juggle. My children do not go to daycare, and I even homeschooled…we working moms learn pretty quickly how to best manage our time!

By: jkbutz

jkbutz — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:26:04 +0000

I too am a full time working mom and feel the pressure that all of these moms have mentioned. I am a psychiatry resident almost finished with training. Most days I wake up at 430 go for a run, then usually sometime in the middle of my run stop and feed the babe and then finish the run, then get the 2 dogs taken care, then shower and get the babe ready for day care. My hubby is also a resident in a surgical field and out the door super early and can’t help which makes things tough but he doesn’t have control. I then take the babe to day care and rush to work. Usually Mondays are okay..Tuesdays are tough and Wednesdays I cry through my run and the way to work and wonder what the heck I am doing. I take Thursdays off just to put myself back together (which is a luxury of being a psychiatry resident, most residents don’t get to the this even though I am extending my training by quite a bit) While at work my schedule is full…. I am lucky that I have a good milk supply as I usually don’t get a break to pee or shove some lunch in none the less pump for 20 minutes. I know its against the law to not be allowed to pump but residents also work 80 hours a week which is also twice what is considered full time and no one bats an eye. Even though I really enjoy my patients and many of them have way more difficult struggles than any of us, all day I am usually behind on notes, my patients are calling for either refills, letters of some sort, disability paper work, begging for controlled substances all day and I leave with unfinished notes each day. I leave it in the office, walk out the door, ring out the sponge of craziness in parking lot, drive to day care and pick her up. From there I am all hers. We laugh and play and sing when we get home and then get the dogs ready for a walk, put the babe in the stroller and go around the block. I have two dogs with lots of energy and they will destroy things without exercise. Even though I am usually really tired I still enjoy being outside and its nice to move around after sitting all day. Then we come home and make dinner and start getting all the things ready for the next day: clean the pump accessories, de-thaw breast milk, get the coffee maker ready to push go, lay out babies clothes, my work clothes and running clothes. Then my hubby gets home and we eat and then drink a much needed beer and put the baby to bed. And then crash. She is finally sleeping better but for the last 3 months before this week we were getting up at least 3 times each night with her. I was feeding her and totally sabotaging sleep training but when you are exhausted and so sleep deprived the best idea seems to be the one that gets her back to sleep the fastest. But I had to take overnight call this past weekend and my hubby decided to let her “cry it out” because I can’t handle it and really it worked. (In the craziness of all this I forgot to mention that two weekend of each month are spent on call). So this is life of a working mommy and resident and mine is not half as bad as some moms in more demanding specialties. Why you make ask…as I ask myself. Well lots of reasons, I do really enjoy my patients and enjoying trying my best to help ease their suffering, I have tons of medical school debt and refuse to let my hubby pay it back even though he would be able to when he finishes, I started this and I am not going to quit in the middle AND I don’t really want my daughter to go into medicine but I do want her to see that she can reach for the stars in what ever she wants to be in life and I want her to know what working hard looks like.

By: jkbutz

jkbutz — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:24:48 +0000

By: jackie

jackie — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:33:23 +0000

I dont have the luxury of staying at home or hiring a nanny. I would like to think there are many more moms in my situation. I work to provide for my children and without our dual income we wouldn’t be able to afford children.
With that being said, I appreciate the rest of your post as it hits close to home.

By: Jasmine 267

Jasmine 267 — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:29:02 +0000

Just for the record, I’m a working mom also, even if part-time, but I don’t see the emphasis on having many children when it obviously takes out other precious moments to be shared with other family members and you soon feel more stressed out than anything else, just so you can say I can manage, when you really just need some quiet time to listen to yourself..

By: Ashley

Ashley — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:29:13 +0000

Sounds like my life in many ways, I work from home Wed and Friday and in office the rest. I am so grateful for the two mornings I don’t have to take a shower and get “dressed” for work. It gives me extra time with my kiddo. It is do-able now and I am happy to have the full extra salary. I was worried about when the next one comes along, but this woman does it and so do many other women I know. It can be done but it can take away from time with the hubby ( i.e. date nights needed). I try not to be connected to email/phone in the late evening unless it is crucial. When I feel burnt out I just take PTO and drop the kid off at my MIL and meet a girlfriend for lunch, go shopping, and/or take a nap before starting dinner. BALANCE baby! P.S. I lasted 6 1/2 months on pumping… that had to go once our busy season started at work. It was hard to find time to pump and supply slowly just went away and I just gave it up.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:21:07 +0000

@JTrousdale, This is so true, especially if you’re a responsible adult, making sure your child(ren) have the quality of life they deserve. Two incomes makes life so much easier. I’m sure there is a higher correlation between lack of money and divorce, than a couple who has money and divorce…

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:15:26 +0000

I think she’s leaving out a few tasks. I’m a busy working mom, I don’t have 3 kids, but she probably performs learning activities with each child that she may not even realize she’s doing. Doing ABC’s in the car ride to day care, discussing colors while doing the laundry. Despite what SAHM’s think, working mom’s with pink colors also give time to husbands. It’s all about balance and communication, I’d like to think working moms are masters of multi-tasking!