Why Working Mums Rock

They say, ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person’. I say, ask a mum.

For years I worked in corporate leadership positions and the closest I came to working mothers was leading or working with them. In truth, my only lasting memory is thinking how odd the alien-like body transformation was. I did not give them the respect I now know they deserved.

When I became a mum for the first time in 2023, I found myself on the other side of what felt like, the parenthood wall. A wall that came gloriously crashing down in the ‘newborn bubble’ as life shifted in a way that was completely unimaginable despite the books, antenatal classes and advice from knowing friends and family. Becoming a mum is one of those things that you can hear and read about in infinite detail but until it happens, the full weight of the change and responsibility doesn’t hit you.

The first few months of parenthood were an incredible blur of feeding, cuddles, nappies, hormones, tears, tiredness and laughter. Then when my daughter was 4 months old, I started working on a freelance project for the first time since just before she was born. In the scheme of things, not a great deal of time had passed but I now lived in a new world and things could not have changed more.

I’ve always been self-motivated and led by passion in my work and it surprised me to learn that this didn’t fade even despite the unfathomably gorgeous little face that looked up at me day and night. I found the battle was less baby brain vs Steph and more, time-consuming bundle of joy versus achieving my extensive project requirements. As someone who has always described a great day as a “productive” one, I have never felt or been more productive in my life. My ability to get things done has been supercharged.

Over those few months, I had inadvertently been on the ultimate productivity and efficiency training.

I’d learnt to get stuff done in new ways – folding laundry into baskets while my baby slept in the lounge and putting it away when I could get upstairs.

I’d mastered how to utilise every minute with the post-work baby swap. My daughter would nap on my husband whilst I washed the many (many) bottle and pump parts ready for the rinse and repeat the following day.

I’d unlocked new levels of troubleshooting, finding focus and fixes to a new world of problems at all times of the day and night against a soundtrack of heart wrenching cries. And the quality of my work, would never, could never drop.

I’d even found time for innovation whilst my daughter fed and slept on me. My mind debated with itself, appreciating the gorgeousness of each moment whilst my body fidgeted, and my business brain popped with new ideas and thoughts of what I wanted to achieve and how I could do it.

Being a mum is a gift that I will never stop appreciating. But you know what I also appreciate? Having a passion for the work I do and a newfound ability to get things done despite the weighty challenges of sleep deprivation, a toddler with a desire to be physically attached or illness taking hold of one or all members of the family.

Working mums are an utter gift to the world. They are raising tiny humans whilst trying to pursue their own careers and re-gain their financial independence (something the UK unfortunately doesn’t offer much support with during the maternity period).

Working mums are keeping family units running whilst also keeping jobs / teams / companies going. They are firing on all cylinders with their newfound superpower.

If you’re the lucky recipient of these new powers by being a business who employs working mums and mums-to-be, then please celebrate, support and nurture them.

I may be biased but now, on the other side of that parenthood wall, I can categorically tell you that working mums rock.