What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?

That your life was about to change for the better! I’m a much happier person since becoming a mom. I honestly can hardly remember my life before becoming a mom. I’m not sure how I ever lived without my daughter! She’s my rock!

What was your primary motivation for deciding to return (or not) to work? How early did you tell your employer?

I was living in Los Angeles at the time and had just accepted a new job with a large company in LA when I found out I was pregnant. I actually kept my pregnancy under wraps for a few months in fear that they might not be happy since I had just accepted the position. Fortunately , my boss was pregnant at the time too so she was super-supportive. At seven months pregnant, I made the wild decision to move across the country to North Carolina where my family had retired. I was a single mom and needed the support. It would have been very hard to stay in LA with the cost of living and I was completely alone. So after being born and raised in Southern California and pursuing music my whole life and having a band through my 20’s, suddenly I was faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Life was about to change forever but in the most beautiful way. You can say my daughter saved my life.

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 breastfed for a very long time, years in fact. I loved it and so did my daughter. It was a huge bonding experience for us. Pumping never really worked for me, but after maybe a week of going back to work, it was as if my body adapted to my new schedule and I would just nurse at night and in the mornings.

How much leave did you take, and how comfortable were you taking it?

I took about 6 months off from working when I moved to Charlotte, NC (the last two months of my pregnancy and the first four months after giving birth). I had my family’s support so I was able to do that. After four months, I returned to the workplace, working an admin job in Charlotte for two and a half years before being laid off. My goal was to move to Nashville to continue pursuing music. All of my musician friends from LA had been migrating to Nashville and I started making trips and really fell in love with the city. In April of 2011, my entire family moved to the Nashville area so I could keep doing music. I’m also working in the wine and spirits industry while continuing to record music.

How easy was it to put a childcare arrangement together and did it work for your family?

I’ve had my parents nearby to help with childcare! They’re a godsend!

When did the “new normal” set in for you?

What is normal really? Lol! I think we got into a routine pretty early on. Since my daughter Peyton was a baby; it’s pretty much been, get up, drop her off at my parents’, go to work, pick her up, drive home, work on music at night and spend time with her. Now that she’s getting older, it’s easier to take her places. For instance, I’ve started taking her to the recording studio with me, which she loves! She’s also taking a huge interest in music and it’s great to be able to share that with her and teach her piano and guitar.

What was your biggest challenge going back to work?

Being away from my daughter of course! But you get into a routine and you make it work and I’m lucky to have that support.

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

My family has been a huge support with childcare. My biggest pregnancy indulgence was probably hamburgers and fries! I craved all things salty when I was pregnant! I would buy those big bags of frozen fries and cook the entire bag! I typically eat very little meat, but when I was pregnant I treated myself to burgers! And I was living in LA at the time so let’s just say I was keeping In and Out in business!

Fill in the blanks: As a working parent, I never expected ____ would be so hard and ____ would be so much easier!

I never expected leaving my child would be so hard.  I always want to take her to work with me!

As a working parent, a bad day is when _____ and a good day is when _______.

As a working parent, a bad day is when my child is under the weather and a good day is every day that my child is happy. That’s really all the matters.

Go to http://www.karolynmarie.com for information.

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