When Beckham was first born, I had every intention of returning to work after my three months of maternity leave. When that day came, I knew I wasn’t ready to go back. I had some personal issues going on and Beckham was refusing to take a bottle. When I was home, I took the test to become a certified professional medical coder. I enjoyed the holidays and decided to return to work. It was time to figure out how to balance motherhood and working full time.

It has been a few months now and definitely a learning process. Not everyday is as smooth as I would hope, but that is part of being a mom. You have to go with the flow. Since I work from home, I can set my own schedule. I have always been an early riser. So, my workday usually begins at 5:30-5:45am. I take a break, when Beckham wakes up for the day, nap times and meal times. Since I start my day so early, I usually clock out about 3pm everyday. This schedule allows me to be devote specific time blocks to work and the freedom to step away and be a mom if I need to be.

Part of being a working mom, whether you work from home or go into the office, is the need for a support system. My “office” happens to be at my mom’s, and she works from home as well. We both tag team taking care of Beckham throughout the day. I am very grateful to have this option, because I know this isn’t a possibility for some.

My biggest tips to balance motherhood and working from home or at the office:

~ Establish time blocks

~ Wake up an hour earlier or stay up an hour later then your house to get some quiet work time

~ Don’t feel guilty for having to step away from work to be a mom and likewise, don’t feel guilty for working. Children need to learn to play by themselves from time to time

~ Be present in the moment. Whether you are working, playing with your kids or enjoying family time

~ Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Parenting takes a village and sometimes we need some extra support or assistance

~ Give yourself some grace, you are doing the best you can while taking care of your family