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The Working Mom Juggling Act
Making It Work for You and Your Baby
By Amy Dingmann
Juggling diapers and day planners, bottles and business meetings – the struggles of new working moms are endless. Striving to find the delicate balance between all the things on your plate is oftentimes overwhelming.
Many working moms share the sentiments of Amanda Lewandowski, mom of three from Foley, Minn. "I feel like I have to be Supermom," she says. "I need to clean the house, do the laundry, make supper, be a good wife, yet tend to every need of the children, all while working 40 hours a week. There just isn't enough time in a day. Am I spending enough time with my children? Are they getting everything they need from me? Are they being taken care of well enough when I'm at work?"
The daily battle of the working mom is full of both stress and surprises. However, there are a few things you can do to make your job a little more manageable and create pockets of time to spend with your baby.
Having a baby changes your life. You're twice as busy as you were before, and you can only spread yourself so thin. Evaluate the expectations you have of yourself to see if they are still realistic as the working mother of an infant.
"I think the biggest mistake new working moms make is expecting they will find 25 hours in the day," says Amy Keroes, founder and president of Mommytrackd.com. "People talk about finding the perfect balance between work and home, as if there really were such a thing. I don't think it exists – at least not on a daily basis. I think we all need to manage our expectations and get used to the notion that on a day when you have a big meeting, you are destined to find spit up on your suit. And the minute you begin a critical conference call, the daycare center will surely call on the other line to tell you that your toddler is running a fever."
As much as we'd all like to win the coveted Supermom award, it really doesn't exist. If your parents, in-laws, siblings or friends ask what they can do to help, don't by shy. This is a great time to ask for help with cleaning, laundry, etc., so you can have a little extra snuggle time with your baby.
