It's no vacation.
Meredith: 1st Time Mom in Denver, CO

Kristin: Mom of 3 (3.5 years & twins, 6 months), Boston, MA
In November 2019, I left on maternity leave to have my twin girls. However, during my maternity leave, my job was eliminated. I spent the last 6 weeks of my maternity leave job searching and luckily, I was able to secure a job, one I loved and was excited about.
The change in company required me to tweak my childcare arrangements, so I delayed my new start date by a week. Just as I was prepping to start my new job, things started to close due to COVID-19. It wasn't much longer before my oldest daughter's full-time preschool was closed indefinitely. The only saving grace was that we had a nanny secured for the twins (who was still okay coming in) so my husband and I decided to split the day with our oldest daughter.
My first day of work was like nothing I've ever experienced: I drove downtown, picked up my computer, came home and logged in. It's a totally strange experience when starting a new company!
I was familiar with a WFH situation from time to time but the uncertainty of this virus was very unnerving. There was still not a definitive plan or comprehension of the looming situation. Not to mention, I had 3 kids under 3 in the same house ALL DAY.
From day one, I opened up to my boss. I figured there was no sugar coating this. I wanted to be honest from the beginning - that my performance was not going to be normal. I was relieved to hear they understand and that there are many parents in the company who were learning to juggle this new reality. The company has little to no WFH/remote infrastructure, so everyone was learning together.
One month in: While I continue to enjoy the people and the work, I'm definitely not where I'd normally be at a new job. I know that I'm being hard on myself and it's a unique combination to start a new job during COVID-19 while coming off of maternity leave with twins. Some days I'm back on my laptop after bedtime and other nights, I can't manage to swing it. It can be overwhelming but we're managing.
I can't imagine going through this without a supportive husband, especially as I'm ramping up with a new team, job and boss. My husband has really stepped up. We are huge planners so the days are pretty organized but outside of calls and toddler life, there isn't much time for down-time or anything else.
Kristin with her husband, and three daughters
Returning to work after my second maternity leave, I've seen two major differences. While it can be so frustrating juggling being an employee and mom to three, it is nice to spend more time with my girls. Seeing that we'll continue to have some WFH and social distancing practices in place for the foreseeable future, it will turn out that I will have spent the entire first year of my twins' life at home with them. As a working mom who left her first daughter with a nanny at 4 months, I am cherishing this immensely and know that I will look back at this with total gratitude.
Another notable change has been seeing the ins and outs of the day in the life of my oldest. Before COVID-19, we dropped her off at 8am and picked her up at 5pm. She loves her school and happily skips into school everyday. This is certainly every working parents dream situation. But now, she's at home all day with her 6 mo old twin sisters, a nanny and her parents. It's tough to hear and see all the ups and downs in toddler-land day in and day out. Before all of this, we could be blissfully naive about it all. Now it's like we see how the sausage is made.
I can't wait to be able to commute (remind me of this once I'm 6 month in and it's 20 degrees out...) but at the same time, I know there are added challenges I've yet to tackle with balancing the job, commute and childcare (now x3!). It's been a welcomed experience to glide back into working rather than taking that shocking blow I experienced when I went back after my first.
Parents are going through so much now but it's fascinating to see how parents are impacted with full-time jobs and childcare based on their kids' ages. While it's physically demanding in our house, I can't imagine having to balance zoom calls with e-learning! While I envy a 12-year's self-sufficiency, adding full-time teacher to my pile is a challenge on an entirely new level!
For more return to work stories, check out our feature in the Returnity Project.