What I Learned From Maternity Leave: Welcoming Baby #2

Maternity Leave: Take Two!

While preparing for the birth of our first child, I created a full-proof system for transitioning from CEO to new mom. Everything was prepared ahead of time, both at the office and home, to guarantee a stress-free maternity leave. What I know now as a mother of two is that life doesn’t always go as planned. Becoming a mom is both a joyous experience but it is also pretty exhausting. You go into maternity leave with every intention of preparing your mind and body for a new addition, but you actually return to work feeling more out of touch and overwhelmed. In fact, if you’re anything like me, getting back to work was a moment of victory.

I’m fortunate enough to have an amazing team at LightningAI, who successfully managed two maternity leaves in a two year period. Not to mention, a global pandemic and all of the other crazy events that have followed since 2020. These days, I’m still juggling an active toddler, infant and all the responsibilities of owning a business. While it’s all been incredibly rewarding, I have no interest in glossing over the ugly moments. Motherhood is a roller coaster, and I know most moms out there, particularly working moms, are looking for more support. That is why I’ve gathered some helpful insights I’ve learned since welcoming Baby #1, including a detailed timeline of my return back to full-time work. Key takeaways from maternity leave are listed below.

You can plan but surprises will happen

In the months leading up to delivery, I took all the precautionary measures to make sure my business would not run into the ground during my absence. As CEO, it was my responsibility to make sure my team felt secure in handling the ropes as I stepped away for an important milestone in my life. I followed the same process for Baby #2 and it’s definitely a gamechanger for ensuring your business runs smoothly. Although from a business aspect things are taken care of, I can’t emphasize enough to expect the unexpected. I had so much adrenaline with baby #2 that he ended up arriving 4 weeks early. Yes, 4 weeks early!

The first message I sent to my team (while laying in a hospital bed) went a little something like this:

“Hi, I had a baby. Everything is fine, see you in two weeks. If you need something sooner, contact XYZ person and not me because I will not respond.”

That message, fellow moms, is what you call delirium. The first two weeks after you give birth are a disaster. I won’t sugar coat that reality. Don’t even bother to work. Don’t send messages when you’re not in the right state of mind. Resist the urge to check Slack every hour. Simply take the time to shut off work life and let your mind and body recover in those initial 14 days.

Find help you can trust

Since Baby #2 decided to make an early entrance, my nanny couldn’t start right away, which turns out, wasn’t so horrible because I had a long recovery from my c-section. I ended up on painkillers for close to a month versus 3 days with my first born. I would say the unpredictability of each pregnancy will factor into how quickly you enter or exit maternity leave. The second time around I was just not bouncing back to normal as fast as I expected.

It’s also important to have the right type of help for your family. Ours was lucky enough to have a nanny who did everything we asked of her, while other family members kind of got in the way of household operations. You’ll notice in those first 1–3 months, your mom or mother-in-law might offer a lot of help, but sometimes that help is counterproductive. A simple offer like “I’ll do the laundry” could lead to more of an inconvenience rather than a blessing.

Bottle feeding benefits

I have a number of mom friends who love breastfeeding, but for me, formula was my saving grace. Not only did it help my partner and I get more sleep, it allowed me to get back to work in a timely manner. As many moms know, sometimes bottle feeding is the only option and there is no shame in that. I wasn’t able to produce more than 2 oz of milk (my 3 month old eats 4 oz at a time for reference), and truthfully, I just didn’t like being constrained to a timeline. The idea of not being able to multitask or let someone else take the reins when necessary was not an option in my head.

Switch off nights with your partner

As they say, two heads are better than one. Well, two rested parents are better than none. Rotate night shifts between you and your partner. It is perhaps the only way to make sure the baby is getting the best care as well as the parents. For Baby #1, I slept in the opposite end of the house on my nights off. I even put noise canceling headphones on to make sure I had uninterrupted sleep for as long as possible. This technique worked wonders for my partner and I, and we continue to rotate our schedule with Baby #2.

Buy a SNOO

Maternity leave definitely gives you the opportunity to separate work from family life, but there will come a time when you’re yearning to get back to a sense of normalcy. Getting a SNOO was one of the best decisions we made because it offered a secure resting place for our little one in case we had another task to complete. Whether it was making dinner or taking a shower, the SNOO keeps your baby in a rocking state to calm them while you’re away.

Ease back into your normal work routine

As mentioned earlier, extreme exhaustion is normal within the first 2–4 weeks so remember to listen to your body and don’t expect much out of yourself. I found the following schedule (weeks old: % of time worked) ran best with balancing a newborn and returning to work:

1–2 weeks old: 0%

3–4 weeks old: 20%

4–8 weeks old: 50%

8 weeks old: 75–100%

After week 8, I felt my mind could finally focus more on work tasks without as many distractions. In addition, by this point in time the baby’s schedule becomes more routine. What worked for me might not for all moms out there, so make sure to take things slow.

What was your experience?

Whether you’re preparing for your first or fourth child, I hope this follow-up helps other working moms navigate maternity leave. If you have more questions or just want to chat about your experience, you can reach me at colette@lightningai.com.