JUGGLING WORK AND A NEWBORN BABY
Written by Sophie
Having a baby has been the most wonderful thing in the world, something I could never imagine the extent of until little Lola arrived in May. I had always planned to work again quite quickly thanks to the new rules around shared parental leave and my husband being able to take time off to look after Lola as ‘primary carer’ but it’s definitely had challenges in trying not to drop any balls (as a mum and co-founder of squirrel sisters). So….what have I learnt?
1) When you do something you love, you actually don’t want to take too much time out: I had FOMO when I first had Lola – suddenly I didn’t know everything going on in the business and it was hard to even take a couple of weeks out!
2) Mum-guilt is a thing: I definitely now understand the term ‘mum guilt’ – I feel so bad not being able to take more time every day to spend with Lola and play with her, but then also feel guilty when I’m not working, or when I’m checking emails in the evening when I’m with Ian. Someone said ‘feeling guilty is a waste of time’ so I try to remember that and put those feelings aside!
3) You have more motivation to succeed than ever when you have a baby: Someone we nearly went into business with placed a lot of negativity on my pregnancy and questioned my ability to function as a co-owner of Squirrel Sisters at the same time as being a mother and I can’t believe how wrong they were. The business has never been in such positive growth as it at the moment and it’s such an exciting time for us!
4) Your support team is your key to success in ‘having it all’: Having such a supportive co-founder (my brilliant sister) and family (especially my husband) has been crucial to me. I’m still learning to juggle two of the most important & challenging things I’ve ever done but by planning and talking with my brilliant support team I know I won’t need to let anyone down.
So to all mums or mums to be, if you have a passion and don’t want to put it on hold – there is always a way if you believe you can do it!
