Navigating The Stages of Becoming A Mum In The Corporate World

For us working women, deciding to have children while maintaining our careers comes with a lot of questions and unknowns.

Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by the entire thought that we get so emotional and can’t really be practical about what we need to do to navigate the season successfully.

Planning to start a family, dealing with pregnancy at work, maternity leave entitlement and returning to work comes with a lot of challenges

I have summarised the various stages with pointers on how to navigate these stages successfully in the corporate world and still be a great mum.

Planning for a Baby

Make sure you are aligned with government expectations in the country for expectant mums and new mums

Research and fully understand all your entitlements with your employer. As this enables you to plan accordingly.

Finding out you are Pregnant

These are exciting times for any mum- to- be, friends and families. Thinking about telling your employer/manager can present mixed emotions.

There is always a bit of doubt as to whether they will be receptive and supportive. Don’t worry about this because in most cases your boss/employer will be supportive even if they do not want to.

Only tell your employer when you are ready to do so – do not feel pressured! Your life, your body, your choice. But it’s always good to follow standard guidelines.

Some women might have to tell their employers/managers earlier to avoid awkward scenarios, due to sickness/ Health and safety concerns etc.

While Pregnant

There are various myths about pregnancy. Do not conform to any of these. Create your own narrative  of what pregnancy is by navigating this season with a lot of grace. Do not let anyone put their experience of pregnancy on you.

Make sure you have a risk assessment carried out – this prevents you from performing task that are harmful to baby’s health and yours and enables your manager to understand what sort of jobs to send your way.

Look after yourself and your health. If your job is demanding, be ready to speak up on elements you deem are a risk to you and your baby.

Always remember, if anything happens to you or your baby, it’s your loss to deal with. Sympathy will be felt but you would have to deal with this for the rest of your life. The organisation you work for will keep moving. This is just another incident on the organisation’s incidence logbook.

Also, your manager/colleagues will want to know if you will be returning to work post maternity leave. Do not make any promises to anyone; just say you will let them know. Until your little one arrives, you are not clear on how the next chapter will unfold. Do not get distracted by these questions. Just stay focus on enjoying the process of birthing life.

Put down a plan for maternity leave. Being it to enjoy your baby as well as check points of when you would network with colleagues etc.

While on Maternity leave

Enjoy this beautiful season in your life. Make the most of all the cuddles knowing that you would return to work at some point.

When you have been on leave for about three months, have a plan on when to check in with your colleagues at work. This keeps you in the know and reduces anxiety when you plan to return.

Returning from maternity Leave

Have a plan with clear goals and objectives on what you want to achieve and when.

For the objectives on your plan that are directly linked to your current role, discuss them with your manager. For those that are not, look out to your network for help.

Do not let anyone tell you your goals are too ambitious as you have just returned from leave. You alone understand your bandwidth.

Settling Back into Work

Once you know you have created some sort of structure between your kids, home and your job, start getting ready to move to the next role that excites/challenges you.