How to be a happy working mom

In my most honest opinion, being a working mom is a very daunting role especially if you're also 1) a first-time mom; and 2) a breastfeeding mom. The STRESS of coping with work and baby is compounded with constant WORRY of low milk supply and GUILT of not doing enough for baby.

I find it challenging because so much effort is required to achieve work-life balance without compromising both baby's well-being and work performance. Sometimes I wonder if what I'm doing (working) is enough to replace the time I'm away from my baby.

It has been almost seven "grueling" months since I started going back to work. The first month was horrible. The second month wasn't much better. I harbor a deep resent about how unfair it is for a woman to be in the workforce. As a mother, she is already spending so much effort in taking care of her kid(s). At the same time, she needs to be a performing employee in order to keep her rice bowl. This is insane!

It's only recently that I find back my momentum after I've accepted the fact that being a working mom rocks big time! Why? See the image below.

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The quote above is so encouraging for us working and pumping moms! We bring home the Bacon AND the Milk! Yes, we do! And I'm proud of it!

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Nowadays, I'm following these 5 tips for working moms so that my sanity is preserved and I can be a happy working mom.

#1 - Focus on what you do, not what you miss

I don't want to count how many hours per day I'm away from my baby. It's the quality of time spent with baby that matters; not quantity.

#2 - Stop guilt in its tracks

Guilt. It will always be there. Just have to ignore it and move on. Be a guilt-free mom!

#3 - Ditch perfectionism

Hah! This is ages ago. I don't care how my house look like now.

#4 - Make shorter to-do lists

Breastfeed, cook baby's porridge, clean up baby, send baby to and fetch baby from babysitter, prepare baby's food for the next day. I think so. Haha.

#5 - Stop comparing yourself!

Not easy, but yeah.

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This quote above is such a good reminder all the time. "Mommy's ATTITUDE matters more than the ACTIVITIES." I have to agree. It's so easy to get so engrossed in doing this and that for baby. Sometimes I ignore baby's wails just so that I can finish chopping those carrots. Or just so that I can finish drinking my mug of milk. Or just so that I can finish playing Candy Crush with the last life I have (you know what I mean). I tend to dismiss his wails as just being manja and wants my attention to carry him around.

It's times like these that test me the most. To get things on hand done or go over to pacify him? I have to rely on my instincts. Sometimes I let him wail a bit more. Sometimes, I stop doing whatever I'm doing now and go over to pacify the little fella.