Working Life With Two Under 2
After welcoming our second son (Francis) into the world (yay!) at the end of March, I figured it was going to be a slow(er) summer work-wise. I knew I needed to take a very short maternity leave and would ease back in. To my surprise, there was no easing back. In fact, I accepted my first project from a previous client three weeks postpartum. Luckily, it was a small-scale project and I was able to do all of the editing from my laptop on my couch. It was in the hands of my client exactly one month post baby!
Then at seven weeks after Francis was born, I was scheduled to work my first video shoot at a two-day conference! One of my biggest concerns as the event neared was my ability to lift my camera/ tripod after a c-section. I felt so incredibly weak the first five weeks and was terrified I had signed on to something I physically couldn't do. So the last two weeks before the shoot, my husband and I took long walks around the neighborhood every day to get ready for two days on my feet. I got cleared by my doctor and was ready to take a shower, put on a big girl bra and rock this thing!
BUT WAIT. How in the world was I going to leave this tiny human for two long days?! I was physically ready but not mentally. You best believe, I didn't put Francis down for those few days leading up to the shoot. And I would be lying if I said my heart wasn’t full of mom guilt that entire drive to the conference center.
But amazingly, once I was there, I felt great. Put a camera in my hand and I am at home. I might have been a tad slow, had to take breaks to pump and checked in during every break but I was motivated to make every second away from Francis worth it. (Also, huge shoutout to UMSA/Secure360 for setting me up with a hotel room to pump. This meant more to me than you know.)
Fast forward three weeks, I was hopping on a plane to Denver to shoot another conference for a different client. From April through September, I had the opportunity to work with nine clients, cover three conferences, and edit more than 30 videos!
Something I didn't realize or take into consideration when I opened my own company is how that would impact motherhood and maternity leave. There really is no such thing as maternity leave when you work for yourself. On the flipside, it has given me the flexibility to be there for my children when I need to be. And thankfully, all of my clients have been more than supportive and patient.
As I was writing this blog, it began to feel familiar. Sure enough, I wrote a very similar blog six months after I had James! There must be something about that six-month mark where you find some sort of groove (or just start to feel like a human again.) No doubt, routine takes time to build and perfect. And although we have finally found a good routine and James and Francis are both in daycare, there is lots of stress and anxiety about being needed at work and with the boys. After all, juggling the responsibilities of a job and a family is no easy accomplishment. It’s challenging, absolutely, but extremely rewarding.
I am not saying that I have it all together. I definitely don’t. I tend to go days without washing my hair, my dog is constantly covered in syrup and our house looks like an in-home daycare on the reg. However, I do what I can to survive. Here is how I “keep it all together”:
PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE. What tasks can you do that will help others function / be happy / bring in money? Do those first. All the random, insignificant tasks can wait. FIND YOUR PEOPLE. It’s so easy to get caught up in the idea that you’re the only one feeling overwhelmed or you can’t manage it all. So, find people that get it. Find people that support you. FIND YOUR TRIBE. The comradery alone will keep you motivated. After all, you brought life into this world and you need all the support you can get. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. When things get tough, go shopping, dance or pour yourself a big glass of wine. This always seems to work for me! Working moms and SAHM, you’re all doing a great job. Now, I should probably go hop in the shower.