I’ve been playing the working mom game for almost two months now. Some days it seems like I’ve been doing it forever and some days it seems like I just came back last week. I’d thought I’d share some of my thoughts about it.

Adjustments for less sleep: Madelyn isn’t as good of a sleeper now as she use to be, but she still sleeps pretty well. However, I do get less sleep and less quality sleep. I definitely notice that I have less attention to detail and tend to forget things because of it. As a writer, that can be a problem. I don’t know how many times in the past few weeks I kick myself for forgetting to do something as simple as running spell check. Forcing myself to create and adhere to check lists seems to help.

I hate pumping: I really do. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy breastfeeding. But I find all the extra tools and time that comes with pumping annoying, and it gets in the way of my day. I am lucky enough to have zero supply issues, meaning that I can easily pump all that Madelyn needs, so I feel a little bad whining about pumping. But I still don’t like it. I found a few tricks to save myself some time at work and make it less annoying but it’s still a work in progress.

Focus is key: I find that I really can’t work many weekend and night hours anymore. I’m in bed much earlier and I want to spend as much weekend time with my family as I can. This means I need to be as productive as possible at work. I usually bring my lunch and eat while I work. I work while I pump. I take fewer breaks. Yes, it sucks but it means more time at home with Madelyn so I’ll deal.

Adult time is nice: It’s nice to have adult time during the week. Don’t get me wrong- I love Madelyn and I can’t wait to pick her up at 5pm or spend Saturdays with her. But I can honestly say that, with only a tiny bit of guilt, I enjoy the non-baby time I have during the week. It’s nice to have adult conversations and use different parts of my brain. It’s nice to have uninterrupted time to check my email here and there. It’s nice to wear clothes that I know aren’t going to get spit on (for a few hours anyway).

Good company helps: It helps that my employer is supportive of working moms. They helped me ease into the transition, they have lactation rooms for pumping, and they are pretty flexible on hours; if I need to go visit Madelyn or take her to the doctor, I can make up my time later. They have a cafeteria on site for days when I forget my lunch and they have a casual dress code, meaning I can roll out of bed and just throw on a t-shirt and jeans.

The routine: The mornings and evenings aren’t as hectic as I imagined. In the mornings Boone takes Madelyn to daycare and then comes back home to work. Getting out of the house in the mornings is easier with two adults and it gives Boone some time out of the condo. I pick Madelyn up and we’re home by 5:30pm. From 5:30pm to 7:00pm is Madelyn time; we play, eat, sometimes take a bath, read, snuggle, etc. Madelyn goes to bed at 7pm, giving me plenty of time to eat dinner, prep for the next day, and do a household chore or two.