By Jimena Larrea

If you had asked me 4 years ago if I saw myself handling a job and a new baby simultaneously, I would have laughed (and cried a little inside!).  At that time, my job as a tech journalist in the media industry was not just incredibly demanding, but also required constant traveling inside and outside Mexico City. Throwing a hypothetical baby into the mix seemed impossible. 

However, when I made the jump to PR and joined Dialogue during the pandemic, home office became a reality and a couple of years later, for the first time in my life, the possibility of becoming a working mom became viable. And so, my husband and I took the leap and the imminent arrival of our baby girl, Olivia, became an exciting and terrifying reality. 

As I prepared for motherhood (as prepared as an inexperienced mom can be!), one of the biggest worries I had was my career and my income source. Yes, I’m very fortunate to share this exciting new chapter with a partner who has a good job, but the idea of losing mine, which I truly enjoy, or juggling my current projects while taking care of a tiny human haunted me at night.  

Thankfully, I got lucky enough to join an agency led by women, two of which are also moms. This made all the difference for me, since they had a better understanding of the challenges that come with pregnancy and motherhood, and they led with empathy. Once Olivia was born, I took my maternity leave and dove right into the newborn trenches, putting everything else on pause for three months. 

When my leave was over, my bosses reached out to me and asked me how I would feel about coming back and, honestly, I didn’t feel 100% ready. I was sleep deprived, scared and every ounce of brain power was being used for baby care, and so I asked them if I could come back part-time for the moment, and they kindly accepted. 

It's now been just over seven months since I returned, and the flexibility that remote work and Dialogue provides has been invaluable. Babies don’t run on a 9-to-5 schedule. As a new mom, I’ve had to plan my workdays around feedings, naps, playtime and doctor appointments. Working from home lets me pause for a feeding, then jump back into a project once my daughter is asleep or with family for a few hours.

This adaptability ensures I can give my child the attention she needs without neglecting my job. Is this arrangement perfect? Of course not, there are days where I can barely finish certain tasks before my 9 month old is crying again, but when I do have the time, I focus on the job and make sure I reach my deadlines. 

In the last months I’ve rocked my baby to sleep while joining a meeting, edited documents with my phone while breastfeeding, pumped milk while writing and used my noise cancelling headphones to avoid feeling anxious when my husband tries to settle a teething infant.  I’ve had to take days off from work when I have no babycare support and must focus entirely on Oli, and I’ve had to work at strange hours in the evening to finish content pieces or do research. 

There will always be trade-offs, some days you’ll have to put your work aside and take a deep breath, and other days you might miss out on playtime with your child because you need to join an important meeting. Sometimes it feels impossible, but things eventually fall into place. 

I’m aware I speak from a place of privilege. I’ve had the support of both loved ones and colleagues, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful. That’s not the reality for many working moms, and it’s important to recognize that. However, If I could offer one piece of advice to new moms navigating this path, it would be this: accept help from people you trust, don’t try to do it all alone, and have honest conversations with your employer about how the company supports working mothers and handles maternity leave.

Having a support system, both personal and professional, makes a world of difference. And if your current workplace doesn’t offer the flexibility or understanding you need, it’s okay to start planning for something better. Maybe we can’t have it all just yet, but with the right support, we can try our best to achieve it.