So much has been written about those pregnant months before the baby comes. “Lean in,” they say. Don’t give up on progression and pay raises and promotions just because you’ll be off for 12 months.
But what about when that roller-coaster year is over? Who warns you, or your managers and peers, that the return is far harder and can be the unmaking of you?
I realize now how lucky I was that I felt well during my whole first pregnancy. I was made CEO at 10 weeks pregnant; my incredible firm supported me on the condition I found a great number two. So, I put my executive team in place and worked harder and harder with an almost militant fervor as my due date approached to get everything in place. I think I became a little scary! But it meant I could focus completely on the tiny girl that popped out during that first year of utter chaos.
And then came the return. My team had kicked ass. They had won loads of business. The agency was growing, and the exec team had stepped up to the plate and excelled. So how could I step back in the same way as before?