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Balancing Work and Motherhood

How to find balance as a working mom both at home and on the job

by: Sydney Loney

ome women start worrying about whether to return to work well before their babies are born–and many find they change their minds several times before eventually making a decision. "Sometimes you just don't know how you're going to feel until after your baby is born," says Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, author of The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book.

If you do make the decision to go back, whether part- or full-time, you're then faced with the often daunting task of juggling the demands of home, family and career.

According to Statistics Canada, 66% of mothers in two-parent families (and 46% of single mothers) with children under age three are working–and research by the Canadian Council on Social Development found that working mothers experience high levels of stress and work/family conflict. Here are a few ways to relieve some of that stress so you can find balance, happiness and fulfillment as a working mom:

1. Divide and conquer

If you feel that you have to do all the "mom things" that your own mother did and all the "work things" that everyone else at work does, it can be really difficult–and unrealistic, says Dr. Greenfield. "If you're a working mom, you have to recognize that all the childcare and home responsibilities can't be entirely yours. You have to decide with your partner how you're going to divide things up–and it's a good idea to start talking about this early, even before the baby is born." And if you're a single mom, it's important to prearrange a reliable network of friends, family and support groups in your community to ensure you get all the help you need, she says.