Empowering Motherhood in Careers

Navigating Parenthood Struggles

'Carry Strong' harmonizes the chaos between careers and motherhood. It sheds light on personal stories, research, and tactics to handle work and the responsibilities of being a parent.

Maintaining Balance

The book emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries. It provides a roadmap for handling challenging conversations and developing a stable balance between a fulfilling career and nurturing family life.

Authentic Reflection

'Carry Strong' proudly reveals the realities of working mothers, providing insightful guidance through the various stages of motherhood and instilling confidence in readers during this period of professional uncertainty.

Empowering Expecting Mothers in Workspace

Pioneering Powerful Maternity Paradigm

The concept of 'Carry Strong' is unveiled, aiming to redefine the perception of pregnancy in the workplace. The goal is to divest mothers-to-be of undue stress, widen their understanding and liberate their potential for their professional journey during maternity.

Triumphing Over Pregnancy Challenges

The balance of a career with impending motherhood can be daunting. This text underscores the importance of accepting and glorifying maternity as a journey parallel to a professional career. An interesting correlation between self-confidence and dedicated effort is observed from a survey with 400 working expectant mothers.

Dynamic Maternity Narratives

Personal tales and experiences reveal multifaceted aspects and emotions tied to pregnancy in a work setting. Readers are urged to contemplate their own expectations and experiences, inspiring a discourse on the overlapping universe of work and motherhood.

Balancing Motherhood and Career: A Contemporary View

Moms in the Business World

Eunice Cho, CEO of a fashion enterprise, navigated through her fears of how motherhood might alter her work-life. Little did she know, motherhood would upscale her productivity levels. Her business also received a positive response when she shared her pregnancy news with her lead investor.

Challenging Cultural Norms

Paula Faris questions mainstream beliefs surrounding 'mom guilt.' She urges society to celebrate mothers, stating how motherhood is viewed differently across cultures. Faris emphasizes the need for an appreciation of mothers, rather than scrutiny.

The Future of Motherhood and Careers

Erica Keswin foresees a future where motherhood becomes an advantage to a women's career. Through technological advances and helpful workplace support, Keswin sees potential for a positive shift in perception.

Tackling Bias and Setting Boundaries

Digital expert Johnette Reed confronted immense pressure to conceal her pregnancy. Primarily due to her identity as a Black woman, she struggled to validate her competency. Reed's journey led her to recognize the importance of a balanced life, involving both her family and her career.

Transformative Power of Motherhood

For creative director Annie Cavallo, having a child radically altered her perspective on her worth. Her newfound confidence post-pregnancy had a strong influence on her career choices, leading to her not wasting any time feeling undervalued.

Navigating Motherhood and Career

Challenging Assumptions

In a trio of stories, Kramer presents women successfully juggling motherhood and their careers. The first story portrays a pregnant surgical resident. She defies the notion that pregnancy could be a hindrance for her profession. Instead, she argues, programs should accommodate residents needing medical leaves, disregarding their gender.

Unexpected Changes

The second story introduces a woman whose unexpected pregnancy leads to a life-altering decision. The realization inspires her to pursue a career as a health coach, promoting nutrient-rich and toxin-free lifestyles.

Striking a Balance

The third narrative tells the story of a pregnant fashion director. As she continues her work commitments, she deliberates the challenge of balancing her career with motherhood. Her story underscores the significance of exemplifying the excitement of work to her daughter while also being an actively present parent.

Embracing Work-Life Fluidity

Historical Evolution of Women's Roles

Women having the best of both worlds — a career and family — isn't a new concept. Kramer depicts this through the story of Mae Lameroux Cupps, a widow who successfully managed both roles. However, it's essential to note that having it all doesn't mean having it all at once.

Navigating Work-Life Fluidity

The concept of work-life fluidity is introduced. It advocates for flexibility and intentionality, enabling individuals to shift focus between work and life elements based on changing needs. It’s a different way to approach and balance our varied roles.

The Power of Priorities and Boundaries

Establishing priorities and boundaries is emphasized for effective work-life balance. Kramer introduces the approach to 'push, pause, or pivot' during pregnancy, portraying them as conscious decisions that empower women. It’s about judiciously saying 'no' and safeguarding one's priorities.

Unveiling Journeys of Working Mothers

Thriving Against All Odds

Joan Kuhl from Stay to Lead, showcases working mothers juggling various roles while emphasizing self-worth and self-care. Actress and producer Alysia Reiner emphasizes the power of women supporting each other throughout the intricate journey of maternity and career balance.

Turning Pain into Strength

Trish Nugent, senior leader in marketing, shares a heartbreaking loss of her baby. Her tale accentuates the strength in resilience and a strong supportive community to navigate through moments of immeasurable grief.

Unique Trials to Motherhood

Amy Sloan, a beauty industry executive, unveils her unusual journey to motherhood involving infertility struggles and a gestational carrier. She underscores the importance of a strong personal and professional circle of support to overcome hurdles along the way.

The Power of Community

In this part of the book, Kramer underscores the power of community in pregnancy and the workplace. This community is something we construct for ourselves and others, and it can provide much-needed perspective, balance, and support. We learn about the necessity of a safe and inclusive work community, observing the difficulties faced by pregnant women in workplaces without it. The potential of inner circles, advisory boards, and work teams are discussed as great sources of guidance and support. Finally, the importance of making communities purposefully, with shared interests and regular interactions, is emphasized.

Juggles and Triumphs of Career Mothers

Choosing Solo Motherhood

In our opening narrative, we meet a courageous woman who forges her own path to motherhood using a sperm donor, confronting societal stereotypes along the way. Encouragingly, her work colleagues are supportive of this decision, allowing her to share her unique family journey openly.

Secrets and Support in Professional Life

We next meet a dietitian specializing in fertility, grappling the task of preserving professional anonymity during her own pregnancy in the face of social media. Able to announce her news when she felt ready, she found valuable support in online groups for expectant mothers.

Diversity Advocate’s Career Shift

Finally, an inspiring founder and CEO, raised in a tough Chicago neighborhood, advocates for diversity upon noticing its absence in her workplace. Faced with work-family balance issues upon her second child’s arrival, she chooses to prioritize family and flexibility, leading her personal career transformation.

Bearing Motherhood's Heft at Work

Classifying Working Mother Challenges

Thriving in a professional environment while pregnant is a demanding task. Our capability to work effectively might be hindered by intense pregnancy symptoms like extreme nausea. Sometimes, to avoid burdening colleagues or jeopardizing pregnancy, women feel obliged to hide their pregnancy. However, it's vital to slow down and tend to our well-being while navigating through the journey of motherhood and work.

Pressure and Struggles

Post maternity leave, the pressures to maintain high work productivity may affect one's overall health. Experiences can leave a working mother feeling unsupported and unseen, causing stress and possibly leading to job abandonment. The challenges of juggling motherhood, personal identity, and work cause fear and anxiety.

The Fulfillment in Struggles

Despite anxieties, there is appreciation found within the exhaustion and sacrifices of motherhood. It can be intriguing to note that the fulfilling and rewarding aspects of motherhood may be intertwined within the hectic and demanding phases, lending gravity to the notion of work-motherhood balance.

Navigating Working Motherhood

Working mothers can experience a transformation that can feel like chaos but it's a chance for personal growth. A mother's career and home life may both change, leading her to reassess her self-worth and priorities. The change is both sudden and constant, leading to an evolved sense of individuality. This shift however, is not always seamless and requires effort to blend existing and new identities. In this process, creating a personal mission statement can align different aspects of one's identity, bringing purpose to their everyday work. Cultivating a mindset of curiosity, courage, and agility helps to face uncertainties, while building confidence and self-trust. Eventually, they come to embrace their new identity, finding it empowering and fulfilling.

Navigating Motherhood and Career

Motherhood on the Run

Inspired by Olympian Paula Radcliffe, Kramer pushes her limits by training for a marathon post-childbirth while handling a career. Challenges such as physical discomforts and the necessity to pump during the race tested her endurance.

Work-Life Balance Conundrum

A coworker's struggle with work and motherhood tipped the scales towards her choosing to be a full-time mother. This highlighted the complex challenges women face in juggling career and family.

Care Sector Heroes

A nurse, despite recently giving birth, continued serving patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. The distress of working in a high-stress environment and being apart from her baby underscored the sacrifices made by essential workers who are also parents.

Securing Reproductive Health

In a visit to friends starting families, it became clear that reproductive health is often undervalued and ignored. Kramer encourages women to be proactive about their reproductive health from an informed vantage point.

Need for Supportive Policies

Kramer underscores the urgent need for more comprehensive support systems and policies, including paid parental leave and childcare. These interventions can enable women to better navigate through the rigors of motherhood and career.

Planning for Motherhood While Working

Preparing for Future Motherhood

Phase I on the way to becoming a working mother is the Before Trying to Conceive (BTTC) period. This is the time when you're harboring thoughts of having a baby someday but aren't quite ready yet. It's a phase for self-pondering and assessing your personal and professional circumstances. Understanding the potential influence of pregnancy on your career is highlighted as vital, along with the necessity of discussing work and motherhood openly.

Assessing Goals and Planning Ahead

In this BTTC phase, you are encouraged to reflect on your ambitions, surroundings, and resources and to plan your way forward. The dimensions of your preparation can include evaluating your work setting, establishing boundaries, and weighing the financial implications. This stage of preparedness paves the way for a healthier and more successful pregnancy.

Negotiating Fertility and Career Choices

Moving Beyond Traditional Choices

Arielle Spiegel had to pass up an important work opportunity in Mexico, putting her fertility journey before her professional commitments. This choice, while plagued with guilt, signified her prioritizing her health and potential pregnancy over her career.

Finding Liberation in New Perspectives

Katie Becker took comfort in her friend's unconventional wish to delegate pregnancy. This viewpoint gave her a sense of relief, enabling her to focus more on her career without the weight of societal norms around motherhood.

Experience Influencing Practice

Caitlin Bump made a difficult decision to terminate her pregnancy in the midst of her medical schooling. This personal experience has significantly improved her practice as a doctor, fostering a deeper understanding and compassion towards her patients who might be dealing with tough choices.

Journey through Conception

Balancing Conception and Career

It's real, trying to conceive while managing a job. There's no definite timeline for conception, it varies greatly. Unexpected pregnancies occur often. During this phase, women sometimes feel powerless, needing to cope with unpredictability.

Considerations and Challenges

Maintain equilibrium between work and pregnancy aspects, resisting the FOMO (fear of missing out). Infertility could greatly influence work, perhaps needing added support or adjustments. Building a support group proves vital for navigating fertility challenges.

Celebration, Support and Self-Care

Pausing both conception efforts and work for self-care is necessary. It’s encouraged to celebrate milestones made on the journey. Speak up for your needs and inform employers about fertility challenges, this can bring about positive workplace changes.

Facing Pregnancy Challenges Office Life

Hidden Struggles of Motherhood

Alicia Yoon, Peach & Lily's spearhead, grappled with severe morning sickness in early pregnancy. She even concealed her condition during a crucial Zoom meet, pointing to the unseen hardships of pregnant women in office culture.

The Awakening of Maternal Instincts

Kay McKean discloses how viewing her unborn child on ultrasound awakened her inner beat. She employed a coach to rearrange her personal and professional life, but soon realized that motherhood required a distinct strategy.

The Battle with Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Lynn Fischer shares her fight with hyperemesis gravidarum during her pregnancy. Her tale emphasizes the need for societal support when battling such draining illnesses, particularly for working expectant women.

Concealing Pregnancy out of Fear

Windsor Hanger Western, from Her Campus Media, recounts her efforts to keep her early pregnancy secret at work owing to fear of miscarriage and concern of appearing unprofessional. This narrative highlights the common fear and anxiety experienced by pregnant women at workplaces.

Navigating 'The Hush' and Pregnancy at Work

Navigating Pregnancy Disclosure

'The Hush' is defined as the period between realizing you're pregnant and disclosing the news, often facing challenges at work. The importance of deciding when and how to relay the news is underlined as a personal choice and may rely on a variety of factors such as work environment and risks. A lot of effort goes into concealing pregnancy by about 63% women.

Physical Challenges within 'The Hush'

The reality of physical symptoms during 'The Hush', such as morning sickness, exhaustion and bloating, is also discussed. It suggests the significance of finding ways to manage these impacts and emphasizes the transitory nature of such symptoms, urging women to communicate with their healthcare providers when needed.

Addressing Pregnancy Loss

The book addresses the topic of pregnancy loss and its influence on work life. Importance is given to creating a supportive and understanding workspace for women who might be dealing with a difficult 'Hush' or experiencing pregnancy loss. By citing an academic paper, the author underlines the need to discuss this topic more openly.

Navigating Pregnancy in the Professional World

The Hidden Struggles of Pregnancy

Luxury retailer, Julie Thibault, wasn't open about her condition at work, eventually losing her unborn child to a uterine infection. In a similar vein, Claudia Reuter, dealing with morning sickness, felt quite alone during her pregnancy in her male-oriented workplace. She faced the challenge of conforming while coming to terms with the physical changes she was undergoing.

Unfavorable Reactions and Future Plans

Jill Kargman, while working at MTV, faced negative responses from co-workers to her pregnancy news. She talks about the prevalent desire to remain youthful and trendy in her field and the subsequent missed opportunities post pregnancy revelation. Contrastingly, Natalie Suarez, a blogger, cherishes her family and plans to manage her career and motherhood side by side.

Changing Perceptions and Tough Decisions

Dylana Suarez, also a blogger, talks about the evolving vision of motherhood as she aged. She points out the challenges women confront in relation to societal expectations and personal wishes about motherhood.

The Big Push: Pregnancy at Workplace

Navigating Pregnancy Announcement at Work

A crucial piece of pregnancy at work is The Big Tell. It's a moment of relief and empowerment when you reveal your pregnancy to your boss and colleagues. How comfortable you feel during this disclosure varies, but effective communication is key. Adapting your approach to match your own and your boss's communication style ensures a smooth discussion.

Leveraging Pregnancy for Career Changes

Pregnancy opens doors for reevaluating one's career and life priorities. Balancing work with the demands of pregnancy, a stage known as 'The Push,' can be a time of growth and pride. It’s essential to manage expectations and prioritize self-care during this phase.

Achieving Efficiency and Reliability During Pregnancy

Being pregnant at work calls for well-organized delegation of tasks. This fosters a sense of efficiency and reliability. Capitalizing on one's strengths and fulfilling commitments establish a lasting impression of gravitas at work.

The Balancing Act of Working Moms

Overcoming Doubts and Fears

The text shares inspiring stories of individuals handling career challenges and motherhood. Lauren Gores Ireland, a digital creator, discloses her fears while launching a business and awaiting her baby. Her story reinforces that it's possible to face doubt and gladly go beyond it.

Parenting Amidst Professional Pressures

Tanya Prive, an entrepreneur and expectant mother of twins diagnosed with a rare condition, successfully managed the pressure of selling her company. Her tale speaks to the trials and triumphs of motherhood in demanding professional environments.

Making Tough Choices

Optometrist Kara McEachern's journey of discovering her unborn baby's severe heart condition and making challenging decisions to ensure optimal care, underlines the seriousness of balancing work with critical life scenarios.

Pursing Passion After Parenthood

Chitra Pourana, a health and wellness coach, narrates how her return from maternity leave led to a career shift toward her passion for health and wellness. Her account stands as a testament to adapting and flourishing amidst change.

Understanding Life's Challenges

These candid narratives reveal the challenges of balancing professional commitments and parenting duties. They show that success isn't dictated by a single day, but by one's journey, underscoring that support from loved ones, personal growth and pursuing joy can help weather these adversities.

Pyramid to Post-Baby Career Transition

Addressing Maternity Leave

The period following the birth of a baby, often concurrently with The Push phase or after the baby's birth, involves women preparing to return to work. A key element of this phase, referred to as Phase V, is recognizing the importance of job protection coupled with paid leave. Particularly noticeable is the absent federal policy in the United States regarding paid maternity leave.

Implementing Practical Routines

Offering a practical guide, suggestions are given for routine walk-throughs, defining boundaries, and putting together an offboarding plan. These suggestions are geared toward helping manage the transition back into the work environment and alleviate common worries and fears tied to this often stressful time.

Recognizing Postpartum Depression

Post-baby career transition isn't just physical; mental well-being plays a significant part. Postpartum depression is highlighted as an issue many new mothers might face, underlining the necessity of seeking help and creating a supportive network when needed.

Insights on Motherhood and Professional Roles

Motherhood Challenges and Work Pressure

Caroline, on return to work post-baby, felt immense pressure. She discovered that this stress was largely self-imposed. She found solace in discussing her feelings, suggesting this method for others who may be in a similar situation.

Familial Changes and Unexpected Diagnosis

Sarah's life took a turn when her daughter was diagnosed with autism. Redefining her future, she became a full-time advocate for her child. Through the difficulty, she found strength and appreciation for her unique journey.

Handling Challenges as a New Breadwinner

Author Jennifer Barrett faced emotional turmoil as she resumed work leaving her newborn in a daycare. Being the primary breadwinner, she found comfort and encouragement in the company of other mothers who helped her to understand that it does get easier with time.

The Realities of Parenthood and Professional Duties during a Pandemic

Dr. Priyanka Patel found herself in a predicament as a pregnant ICU doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as she questioned her career choice, she remained steadfast, hoping to impart the value of resilience and hard work to her children.

Work-Life Harmony for Working Mothers

Reflections on Motherhood and Career

Being a mother can enhance professional efficiency and promote empathy. Juggling motherhood and career invites mothers to redefine their identity whilst remaining true to themselves. Prioritizing tasks and embracing work-life fluidity is crucial.

Olympic Motherhood

Elana Meyers Taylor, an Olympic medalist and mother, showcases success and grace in career and motherhood. Her determination continues to shine despite setbacks, making her a great role model.

Support for Moms in the Workplace

Abbey Donnell, founder of Work & Mother, argues for workplace support for working moms. Mother-friendly policies such as lactation support can drastically enhance retention rates for working mothers.

Workplace Challenges for Pregnant Employees

Carry Strong® Evaluative Criteria, Inc. undertook an eye-opening study involving 400 pregnant women in non-manual labour roles. The investigation revealed disturbing experiences of discrimination and bias against these expecting mothers, that negatively impact their professional growth. The absence of supportive policies for expectant mothers and non-existent paid parental leave adds to these struggles. This underscores an urgent need for improving inclusivity and support in workplaces for pregnant women.