Rachel here. You’ll have to bear with me; while I write the majority of our online content, including our blogs, I don’t write a lot of personal blog posts and I tend to be fairly reserved about my personal life. However, Corina encouraged me to write this post about going back to work shortly after giving birth and I liked that it could maybe help someone out there who may be in a similar situation. If this is you I encourage you to be kind to yourself - being a new parent is hard work!

Let’s start at the beginning.

I found out I was pregnant on August 28, 2020. My husband and I had been trying for ten months at this point and to finally have a positive test in my hand was both exhilarating and terrifying. A little more than a month later, on October 1, 2020, Corina and I started Bungalow, because that’s what everyone does when they find out they’re pregnant right? 😜

The good thing about starting a business, in a pandemic, when you’re pregnant with your first child, is that you learn to adapt. From realizing you can no longer bend over to do a site measure at six months pregnant, to finding a way to go back to work with a six week old baby, rapid change has been a part of everyday life lately.

Stella was born on April 13, 2021 and has been the light of our lives ever since. Having a baby has been life-altering, as expected, but I wouldn’t change a thing. She’s now almost three months old and after being back to work for about a month now I’ve had a chance to figure out how best to get work done.

My husband Brian is on paternity leave from April until September so it’s been fantastic to have two sets of hands to ease into parenthood. He’s a very hands on parent so I’m grateful to have him home to help. We made the decision to have him take an extended paternity leave when we discovered that as a new business owner I wasn’t eligible for government issued maternity benefits. Did you know that you have to have paid into EI as a business owner for one year prior to claiming maternity leave?

The first six weeks of Stella’s life were devoted to my recovery, and bonding and getting used to being a new family of three. Since then, Brian and I have been focusing on adjusting to one of us working and one of us being a stay at home parent. Come September things will change once again as Brian also goes back to work.

We’re grateful to have lots of help at our disposal. Our parents are retired, accessible when we need them, and have been helping out a lot. They cook, clean, and babysit often. I grew up without grandparents in the city (they all lived in Saskatchewan), so it’s nice to have them close at hand and able to interact with Stella from the beginning.

As Stella gets older we’re trying to incorporate more routine and structure into her days. This helps not only her since she’s able to rely on these patterns, but also us as it allows us to plan around her naps and feeding. We’re trying to get her used to her crib (she sleeps in a bassinet beside our bed at night), however sometimes she takes a nap in a bassinet on the floor beside my desk, strapped to me in the baby wrap, or even directly on my desk - whatever works in the moment! Right now, a typical day looks like this in our household:

8AM - Wake up, feed Stella, Brian gets ready for the day and makes breakfast

9AM - Brian and I have breakfast

9:15AM - Brian and Stella have tummy time, I get ready for work

10AM - Nap #1, I work

12PM - Lunchtime, feed Stella

12:30PM - Brian and Stella have tummy time/playtime

1PM - Nap #2, I work

4PM - Feed Stella

4:30PM - Brian and Stella have tummy time/playtime

5PM - Nap #3, Brian makes dinner

6PM - Dinner

7PM - I may do some more work after dinner as needed

8PM - Feed Stella

9PM - Start Stella’s bedtime routine

10PM - 4AM - Sleep

4AM - Feed Stella

4:30AM - 8AM - Sleep

This kind of schedule obviously doesn’t happen every day, but this is the schedule we try to stick to as closely as possible. Brian went to culinary school so he makes most of our meals which helps immensely. He has also taken on doing most of our laundry, outdoor care, dishes, and some cleaning around the house which has lessened my load. I’m so grateful to have a partner that is very hands on and contributes equally to our household. I know this can be a rarity among men (it shouldn’t be!) and I encourage Brian and all men to be an equal partner in the home.

Stella’s been smiling lots lately, is eager to crawl (she loves to drag herself across her playmat, lol), and is rolling over and sitting with assistance so I know this will all change soon as she gets more mobile. As she gets older our days will start earlier and bedtime will be moved up slowly until it’s at 7PM, but in the meantime we’re enjoying these early days of parenthood.

If you’re one of our clients (current or future!) I’m sure you’ll meet our sweet Stella at some point. Not many babies have noise-cancelling headphones on their baby registry but it was a necessity for her to be able to visit job sites from time to time with me without damaging her hearing!

It has been especially nice to have the flexibility of business ownership during this time as it allows us to go to doctor’s appointments, spend an afternoon at the park, go for a lunchtime stroll, and fit work in whenever and wherever possible (entrepreneurship is not Monday to Friday, 9-5!). I love my job and I can’t imagine giving it up so this arrangement allows me to keep doing what I love while raising a tiny human. It’s also important to me that Stella grows up seeing me pursue my dreams of entrepreneurship and loving what I do. I hope it inspires her to break down barriers and do what she loves to do too, whatever it may be. Until then, we’re just going to keep trucking along over here and making the most of these precious moments.

-R