A week after giving birth, I was unexpectedly summoned back to the office by my supervisor. The request, which caught me completely off guard, came as I was en route to visit my newborn daughter in the hospital NICU. I found myself replying, “Well, I suppose since she’s still hospitalized, I could come in this week,” as a lump formed in my throat.
What I had anticipated as a simple check-in about my well-being after giving birth prematurely at 35 weeks quickly turned into a demand for me to return to the office for a few hours to train my replacement. This was a particularly challenging situation as I had not had the chance to prepare anyone for my maternity leave, nor had my boss even identified who would be covering for me. Consequently, I was being asked to navigate a difficult commute downtown while still recovering from a C-section and managing the emotional rollercoaster of being a new mom with my baby in the NICU.
I deeply wish I had expressed my feelings to him, but instead, I hung up the phone, overwhelmed, and immediately dissolved into tears. One might think that a parent would better understand the challenges of a new mother, but my boss, who himself had children and had experienced the anxiety of a baby in the NICU, seemed oblivious to the reality of my situation. This made me wonder how we can expect anyone to grasp the struggles of working mothers when even those with similar personal experiences fail to empathize with our circumstances.
Workplace Support: A Double-Edged Sword
My employer was relatively progressive in terms of maternity support. I was fortunate to have twelve weeks of fully paid leave due to my tenure, and prior to the Affordable Care Act’s requirements, my company provided a six-month rental for a hospital-grade breast pump and maintained a private Mother’s Room in the office. They also offered an on-call lactation consultant and five days of backup daycare during the first year after childbirth. On paper, it was an ideal workplace for new mothers; however, this incident highlighted that truly understanding the needs of new moms within the company’s culture was still a significant gap.
Innovative Approaches to Maternal Support
Encouragingly, organizations like 72andSunny are making strides in this area. Their innovative Mommy Bahama campaign—a humorous faux e-commerce site featuring postpartum essentials like mesh underwear and pumping bras—reflects a growing understanding of the challenges mothers face. Spearheaded by Tara Lawall, a working mom, the campaign aims to raise awareness and foster discussions about the realities of motherhood in the workplace.
Reflecting on my own experiences, I recall an incident early in my career when a young male colleague asked if the Mother’s Room was a designated nap area for moms. While a nap room might have its merits, it underscored a lack of awareness regarding the complexities of breastfeeding and the myriad of challenges new mothers encounter when returning to work. Many of these realities were surprising even to me.
My Decision and Its Implications
So, did I end up going back to the office one week after giving birth? No, I composed an email stating that I could not make it in, but I was open to a phone call with the new team member instead. The call went smoothly, devoid of tears, and I didn’t bring up the issue with my boss, which I now realize may have let down future working mothers.
This narrative serves as my contribution to the ongoing discourse surrounding maternal support in the workplace. My hope is that by sharing my story, we can continue to foster an environment that benefits both employees and their families. My daughter, once a NICU baby, is now a healthy five-year-old, and I hope she will enter a workplace that values her as both an employee and a future mother.
Further Reading
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Summary
A new mother reflects on being asked to return to work just a week after giving birth, highlighting the disconnect between workplace policies and the realities faced by new parents. Despite a supportive maternity leave environment, the episode underscores the need for genuine understanding and empathy toward new mothers in corporate culture.