Being Mum… it’s all about the cake

Sarah Lloyd - 30 Jun 16

I have always been conscientious, I even got awarded most conscientious Brownie when I was 8 years old, it’s that built into my make-up. I have prided myself on working hard, going that extra mile, throughout my working life and as a result scoring my current position in corporate communications for a blue chip tech company. When I became a mummy to daughter number 1, it was a massive wake-up call – running a small team, rallying senior spokespeople and journalists, ‘PR-ing’ stuff – is nothing compared to the level of hard work required to be mummy.

I am just returning to work (first day!) from maternity leave with daughter number 2. This second time round I had post-natal depression for the first 3 months of my leave which meant I wasn’t really able to enjoy my little ones as much as I perhaps had anticipated – that coupled with a crazy 2 year old made things that little bit more interesting… and don’t get me started on the joys of potty training – takes multi-tasking to a whole new level!

So suffice to say returning to work after 7 months off kind of crept up on me – just as I started to feel less murderous and the girls are getting more interesting.

Luckily, my return to work for a big corporate isn’t as hard as for me, as I imagine it is for others. Luckily, I work for a company that uses video conferencing like they use a desk phone – as the main way to communicate (can you tell I work in communications?).

Which brings me back to being conscientious… and a great multi-tasker (aren’t all mums?) knowing that there were several important meetings / discussions taking place whilst I was off on maternity leave, I wanted to make sure I kept my finger on the pulse. But not to the detriment of my new little family…always a cake and eat it too type me!

So what I suspect would have been an arduous task to keep in touch with my employer (finding childcare, packing numerous bags, trekking to an office), was just ridiculously easy. Both times I have been on maternity leave, I have been able to stay in touch with my boss (based in the US) and my team based here in the UK through video calls. Which is making my return to work that little less painful.

Why do I feel the need to talk about this? Simply because without being able to make video calls and having access to this technology, I would not be prepared to go back to work now (earlier than most in the UK, my youngest is nearly 7 months) or be able to keep on top of things to the level I would feel comfortable.

Naturally once I get back in to the swing of work, it will also help me to be successful as both mummy and in the office. For me having access to this technology is a no-brainer and should be the norm for corporations – it’s not a just a luxury any more, the luxury is the fact you can have your cake and eat it too…just saying!

Sarah Lloyd

I am a corporate communications professional who has been in the business for over 17 years (gulp). Nearly 3 years ago I embarked on the hardest job of my life, becoming mummy to Lucy, and as it couldn't have been all bad, more recently Amy.

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