Baby name and age(s):

Damian is six months old and Mia Roma is 17 months.

Where do you live in South Africa?

Kempton Park.

Did you work before you had a baby?

Yes.

Why did you decide to continue working?

It was a financial decision.

How old was your baby when you went back to work?

Both were just over three months old.

How long did you have maternity leave?

Four months with both of my kids.

How did it feel before you had to go back to work?

Very sad. It's hard to leave them when they are so young.

How important is a career for you?

Moderately important, but would love to work five hours only and spend more time with my babies.

How do you balance it all?

Keep calm most of the time. I am always busy and you get used to it.

Did you breastfeed when you went back to work?

No.

Where does your baby stay during the day?

They are in day-care.

What is your working hours?

From 8:30 to 4:30. I work 50 km from home. Travel from Kempton Park to Montana every day. 

How does it make you feel? (Meaning, do you feel a sense of self - that you do something for yourself?)

I live for my children now and love it. I don’t like the fact that I only spend two hours a day with them (meaning, at night when I get home, time spent is bathing them and putting them to bed, the rest of the night I clean, pack the bags for the next day and cook, etc.)

What is the most rewarding part of your day?

Seeing my babies after a busy day, their smiles and happiness makes everything better.

Do you have help at home?

Just my husband when I really can’t cope or need to study. 

Also read the story of this working mom as part of the Change Exchange on Brightrock. She says: "Working mothers incur an “energy debt” in the first four to six years of their children’s lives. We go into the ‘red’ and don’t acknowledge or even recognise it, beyond the feeling of exhaustion. Everyone, ourselves included, just expects us to get on with it."