Learning to let go of work while navigating a first-time pregnancy

After more than 16 years of experience as a communicator, it’s rare to experience something professionally for the first time. While new and complex crises may come along, at a certain point, you instinctively know what steps need to be taken to navigate just about any scenario.

This past November, I was overjoyed to find out that I was pregnant with our first child. In addition to the range of emotions that came with this news, in the weeks that followed, I realized that I had no idea how to balance being pregnant while staying fully devoted and passionate about my role. After almost two decades as a communicator, this was something that I’d never encountered before. It rattled me.

Endless think pieces have been written about life after the baby is born – how to ease back into work, how to find a semblance of a work/life balance, how to “get your body back” – but there’s limited guidance around how to actually be a pregnant person in the corporate world. Like many in senior roles, preparedness and the ability to make informed decisions are vital to my day-to-day. I was not prepared and I was surely not informed about balancing this new life event.

Without a clear map to follow, I decided to write my own rules, finding that this moment in time is much less about taking control and a lot more about allowing yourself step back.