With Mother's Day around the corner, I wanted to share some of my experience and tips to help working moms-to-be navigate this incredible journey. As a first-time mom who welcomed a baby a little over a year ago, I was wholly unprepared for what was to come. There are so many unexpected things that come up that I had never heard of or thought about up until this point, so I especially want to highlight them here.

Research daycares and get on the waitlist while you are still pregnant.

While daycare availability may vary from city to city, it’s pretty common now for most of them to have some sort of wait time. I signed up for our son’s daycare when I was 6 months pregnant. One of my friends' wait time was almost a year.

Daycare babies get sick, a lot.

The first winter was rough for me and my family. My son had several ear infections, pneumonia, and hand, mouth, and feet disease all within 3 months. Save a good amount of your/your partner's sick days and PTO days for these times. Usually, daycare won’t allow your child back until 24-48 hours of being fever-free, and most part-time nannies are not willing to watch feverish babies/kids.

Join local Facebook/in-person mom groups.

You can post questions, ask for advice, meet other moms, organize playdates, etc. Connecting with moms in my community helped me enjoy motherhood more, feel less alone, and meet new friends. I also recommend the app Peanut which connects you to other moms in your area - like Bumble Friends, but for moms/moms-to-be.

Choose a company that prioritizes women and moms.

Unfortunately, they are rare, but they do exist. EMW3, the company I work for, is female-founded and extraordinarily supportive of new moms. They offer a 100% remote work environment, flexible working hours, and unlimited PTO days. When I was struggling with my son’s chronic illnesses, they offered numerous options to help me stay in the workforce while being able to take care of my family.

Some other things that surprised me:

I sleep so much less, but somehow am more functional and productive than before. The “I can’t function without 8 hours of sleep” life is way behind me now and I was so amazed at all the things I could still do, and do well, on just 5 or 6 hours of sleep. Housework, meals, cleaning, work calls, presentations, spreadsheets. I surprised myself and have a new appreciation for the mental and physical strength I have. Side note, it didn’t feel great to have chronic lack of sleep, but know this is temporary.

The back-to-work and daycare transition was surprisingly very smooth and a very positive experience. I was extremely fortunate to have as much time off as I needed for my maternity leave and transitioned back into working full time around 5 months postpartum. We were also able to find an awesome daycare with teachers whom I 100% trust. My son has loved it since day one and I was glad to be able to hang out with adults again.

As you embark on this incredible journey into parenthood, remember that you are strong, capable, and deserving of all the success that comes your way. With a little bit of planning, a whole lot of love, and the support of your employer, you've got this!