It's working for Laurie B
New York, New York
1 child
"I was pretty nervous because we were broke when I got pregnant and I was struggling in my career. I got hugely lucky and suddenly became successful in the world of kids' music a few months before my daughter was born."
What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got before I had my daughter was, “Don’t listen to anyone else’s advice – because only you know what’s best for your family.” I think that applies in this situation as well. Only you know what seems like it will be ok for you and your family. And don’t be afraid to change your minds if it’s not working.
FOR MOMS: If you breastfed, was there a place for you to pump that met your needs and was conducive to your success? If you breastfed, how did you decide to continue? FOR DADS: What, if any, adjustments did you (or your workplace) make to your schedule after having a baby? Was it specific to your manager or larger, whole work culture?
I breast-fed my daughter and got a fair amount of support to be able to do that from my husband. I also had a lactation consultant help me right from the beginning and was very much in charge of my own schedule. I chose to pump so my husband could feed our daughter as well.
How much leave did you take, and how comfortable were you taking it?
I didn’t play any shows until Lucy was 5 months old. It seemed like that would be plenty of time before I had her – then once she was born it didn’t feel like it was nearly enough time. But we brought someone to help us and I took it easy on that first trip back.
What was your biggest challenge going back to work?
How much time I would miss with her. Particularly when I stopped bringing her when I traveled.
Fill in the blanks: As a working parent, I never expected ____ would be so hard and ____ would be so much easier!
How much of my attention I would want and need to give to my daughter when she was an infant and a toddler. Before she was born I had an image of taking her to my office and putting her on a blanket on the floor or in a pack and play and just letting her play on her own while I did my work. That absolutely did not happen for me! She wanted to interact with me all of the time and be responded to. And I wanted the same thing! I found I couldn’t be with her and not want to be totally focused on what she was doing and learning. Needless to say, not much work got done when I brought her to my office.