What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former, pre-child(ren) self?

As someone who waited till later in life to have children, I would suggest to my childless self to learn more about putting kids’ toys together!! Why didn’t I read directions before????

How long did you take for paternity leave before heading back to work? How close was your back-to-work plan with the back-to-work reality?

I took a week off from work with both kids. In hindsight I should have probably taken more time off. Even with that week off my phone rang off the hook.

What, if any, adjustments did you (or your workplace) make to your schedule after having a baby?

I had to make some major and dramatic changes to my work schedule. I have worked 75 hours + a week for over 20 years. I made the decision to delegate more work so I could leave at a reasonable time and make my girls dinner every night. Best decision I have ever made!

Who was your biggest source of support in returning to work?

My coworkers understood my need to rearrange my schedule for my girls. They went above and beyond to get everything done in my absence. They also understood that I might not get back to them in 5 minutes like I used to.

What was your biggest back-to-work, post-baby challenge?

My biggest challenge is to keep serving the Senate members without traveling as much as I did in the past.

As a working parent…

I never expected getting the kids to sleep would be so hard and cooking would be so much easier!

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