It’s 9am, my baby is in daycare and I’m at work, armed with my venti vanilla soy iced coffee, sporting a pretty pink and black dress, low heel black dress sandals, and about 4 hours of sleep. Not bad by new mom standards, but does that project meeting have to be today?!
I try not to think about how much I miss my baby boy as I hurriedly answer a few emails before heading into a meeting about a project I’m managing. This is my first time managing a project, and I am also a first time mom. I fight off anxiety attacks and exhaustion with a brave face and a prayer that I’ll make it to the best part of my day – holding my baby.
American society is harsh on new moms. In general, women don’t get paid maternity leave very often….at least not in the United States. I went back to work earlier than I wanted to because my leave was unpaid. I was fortunate enough to have three months at home with my sweet baby boy, which of course didn’t seem like enough….but it is more than some women receive from their employers.
I am grateful for the time I did have and sincerely hope I’ll be able to stop shedding mommy tears in the near future (although I”m sure that’s unlikely). I’ve been back at work for two months and it still makes me feel like a bad mom to be away from him so much.
In addition to the challenges that come with the end of maternity leave, there’s the reality of going back to work as a high functioning career mom. It’s insanely hard to look good at work when all you want to do is hold your baby.
It is hard enough to get baby ready for daycare and still manage to look put together on a few hours of sleep while dealing with postpartum hormonal issues.
Believe it or not, it is possible.
This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I have used and absolutely love!
If you need wardrobe and style solutions that make the work week at least a little less stressful, here are my top five practical solutions for looking fabulous under pressure:
Reversible dresses are a life saver. Having two of these in your closet equals four days worth of outfits! How cool is that?! My favorite mom-friendly reversible dresses can be found here.
Long layers significantly cut down on styling time for my hair, and let’s be real – who has time for that? Every time I get a haircut, I get long layers and it buys me a few months of fuss free hair days.
Need softer hair that detangles with less drama? My holy grail leave-in solution for unruly hair can be found here.
Kenra Volume hairspray forces my hair into submission and is the perfect size to throw in the diaper bag (which of course is also my purse).
Rebecca Minkoff makes an amazing diaper bag for career moms. While they are expensive, there are some great eBay deals on these spacious gems. They hold lots of baby items and still have room to spare for mommy’s stuff – including a laptop. Get yours here.
Flawless Face in Less Than a Minute
This powder foundation is perfect for combination or oily skin and is a great solution for mornings when the only time for doing my makeup is at a red light or in the parking lot at work….which is pretty much every morning. 😂
Bringing It All Together
These five solutions have significantly streamlined my daily routine, and I’d love to hear how it goes if you incorporate any of them into your busy schedule. Do you have favorite products that made your postpartum life easier as a career mom? Please share in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, check out Top 5 Beauty Hacks for Career Moms!
Caffeinated Career Mom 