Why You Should Allow Motherhood to Change You

A few months before my first child was born, I had the opportunity to define my own maternity leave—one of the perks of starting your own business.

“It’s entirely up to you,” my co-founder kindly said to me. “There’s no pressure to come back if you want to take more time to adjust.”

I told her I would just need two months. I want to jump right back into it, I thought. I’m not going to let motherhood take over my life. 

So two months after my daughter was born, I found myself looking into the mirror in the tiny bathroom of a NYC office, carrying a breast pump in my tote bag while holding the bottles with my two hands (I hadn’t had time to buy a nursing bra yet).

“What am I doing?” I asked my exhausted face…