The first 60 days: What returning to work after becoming a mom has taught me

There is a different kind of exhaustion that comes with returning to work after having a baby.

It's not the exhaustion that comes from staying up too late or recovering from an illness. It's the exhaustion that comes from waking multiple times a night, sometimes every 45 minutes, to comfort a tiny human who depends entirely on you, then getting dressed and showing up to work as if you had a full night's rest.

For many new mothers, those first 60 days back at work feel like living two lives simultaneously. I know they have for me. One life is measured in deadlines, goals, and performance metrics. The other is measured in milestones, kisses, cuddles, and hours slept.

And just when you think you've found a rhythm, the four-month sleep regression, teething, or a developmental leap arrives, turning nights into a series of wakeups and mornings into an exercise in determination. And yet, something remarkable happens during this season. You discover you are capable of more than you ever imagined.

Before becoming a mom, I thought resilience was pushing through a difficult project. I thought multitasking meant managing competing priorities. I thought empathy meant understanding someone else's perspective. Motherhood redefined all of those concepts.

During those first weeks back at work, I still had goals to meet. There were campaigns to launch, strategies to execute, and expectations to fulfill. The work didn't stop because I had a baby. What surprised me wasn't that I could still succeed professionally. It was that I could do it while carrying so much more.

I learned to operate on broken sleep. I learned to pivot quickly between strategic conversations and updates from the nanny. Most importantly, I learned that success no longer meant doing everything flawlessly. Success meant showing up, adapting, and giving my best in whatever circumstances the day presented.

Motherhood hasn't made me less ambitious. If anything, it has made me more intentional. My priorities are clearer. My time is more valuable. It's also given me a new appreciation for working mothers. Every day, women are leading teams, caring for patients, solving problems, and making meaningful contributions while carrying countless unseen responsibilities at home.

Perhaps the greatest lesson motherhood has taught me is empathy.

Our NICU experience at Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital changed me in ways I am still uncovering. Sitting on the other side of healthcare, not as an employee but as a mother uncertain of what the future would hold, gave me a deeper appreciation for the clinicians who care for families during their most vulnerable moments. 

I experienced firsthand how a reassuring conversation, a nurse's compassion, or a physician's ability to explain the unknown can completely change someone's day. It reinforced something those of us in healthcare often say but don't fully understand until we live it ourselves: every patient and family has a story we cannot see.

Returning to work after that experience made me a better communicator and team member. It reminded me that every person who walks through our doors, whether patient, family member, or employee, may be carrying burdens invisible to everyone around them.

In healthcare, empathy is not a soft skill. It is essential. It shapes how we communicate, how we care for others, and how we build trust. Motherhood has taught me many things, but perhaps the most valuable is the ability to see people more completely, to understand that strength often exists alongside struggle, and to lead with greater compassion. 

For someone working in healthcare, I can think of no more important lesson than that.