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Motherhood is extremely demanding, exhausting, and overwhelming. Add to that the responsibilities of resuming work at the office, and voila, you’ve got a ‘working mom.’ As a working woman, and more importantly a mom, it was extremely hard for me to take care of my little one and do my job at the office. Finding the right balance between work and family is always going to be a gamble for every working parent. I was overwhelmed, emotional, and at a crossroads thinking of going back to work after my maternity leave.
As soon as I returned to the office, I found myself drowning in a lot of work while also adjusting to being a new mom. I felt after being a mother I had to prove myself to the team that I can do it all and I was worthy of my position at the office. People expect you to behave as if nothing has changed. But the truth is your daily routine hits a speed bump when you are rushing to work in your spit-up shirt hoping nobody notices it before you can find the time to give it a quick rinse in the office washroom. As soon as our daughter turned 6 months, both of us didn’t have an option than to enroll her in daycare. It broke my heart to leave her in some stranger’s arms and go off to work, but I had to do it. There were several instances where I was sitting in my cabin staring at my laptop when my eyes would well up with tears thinking about my baby girl. I missed her terribly and I wish there was a way where I could be there with her every now and then.
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There was this particular day when my baby got sick, and I was running late to pick her up from daycare as I was stuck in the middle of a client call. That was the first real moment when I started contemplating if having a career was really worth it. Soon the mommy guilt started kicking in. I was on the verge of putting down my resignation when I heard about daycare with co-working spaces through a friend.
With escalating daycare costs and the hassle of rushing back and forth from daycare to office and home, co-working spaces with a daycare are a cheaper and better alternative for working moms. Think about it, if women had access to a reliable childcare facility right in the vicinity of their office, they’ll be able to perform better and progress in their respective fields. Daycares with coworking spaces can run successfully as it can be beneficial to both parties involved in terms of cost and employee satisfaction. And if you have branded your office as one with a coworking space daycare, you are definitely going to attract more women employees by including the right facilities and features. Lactation lounges for new mothers, indoor playgrounds for kids, and a common cafeteria where both the mother and the child can have lunch together are features that make daycare with co-working spaces truly remarkable. Not only is it going to benefit the working parents in the company, but it is also going to attract other freelancers and independent professionals. The emergence of such spaces is going to be a game-changer for parents with babies or kids as it allows them to work and also continue to be a parent at the same time.
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I am now working at such a working space after having my second child, and here are the few benefits that I found:
- Less mommy guilt
- Flexibility when it comes to breastfeeding
- More productivity at work
- No more stressful commute between office and daycare
- Not missing your baby while at work
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Having a coworking daycare space is going to be a huge relief for working parents, especially new mommies. You will have a flexible schedule and your mind doesn’t have to be occupied with household chores or guilt while at work. It is going to improve your work performance and also allow you to be involved in your child’s life. It’s safe to say that daycares with co-working spaces are definitely going to be a game-changer for the future.
