5 Lessons I Learned from Maternity Leave

5 Lessons I Learned from Maternity Leave

By Tiffany Keesey

Earlier this year, I went on maternity leave, and wow, have I learned so much! Like what “wake windows” are, how to decode cries, and what it’s really like to be a new parent in the workforce. I’m proud to say we’ve advocated for new parents from the beginning at Conscious Culture by helping our clients implement flexible schedules, paid parental leave and supportive return to work policies. But as is the case with most things, it's hard to truly understand what it's like to be a new working parent until I went through it myself. From both my time away, and now my return to work, here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Your team is everything

I went out five weeks early unexpectedly and with no warning. I had a few hours to frantically email my team, but I mostly had to trust they would figure it out. And they did! It's time tested advice: our goal as managers should always be having a team that can function well in our absence.

2. Prioritize documentation & cross training

There shouldn’t be any tasks that only one person knows how to do. Having the proper systems and documentation in place is critical for ensuring seamless coverage when someone is OOO (or leaves) without warning.

3. Paid parental leave is one of the most valuable benefits you can offer

I’m so thankful I was able to take maternity leave, because it's not an option for everyone. My partner also took off 8 weeks through his employer and CA’s paid family leave, which was so supportive in the early days. We talk a lot about maternity leave, but let’s normalize partners taking time off as well. 

4. Having a baby is a full-time job

I knew this conceptually before having a baby, but holy smokes is it the honest-to-goodness truth. Not convinced? This mom set up a diaper dashboard to illustrate through data visualization why the job is 24/7.

5. Returning to work should be a transition

It’s tough to go from being full-time with baby to full-time back at work, for many reasons. We’ve helped a majority of our clients develop a part-time return-to-work policy to create a more supportive and manageable onramp. After doing it myself, I would recommend it even more.

The reality is, there is not much structural support for new parents. With the lack of paid federal leave, affordable daycare, and other benefits, companies that offer benefits and flexibility for their employees will absolutely win out on recruiting and retaining top talent.

If you want to discuss how to implement these policies to support the people on your team as full human beings, feel free to reach out to us to set up some time to connect.