I did not anticipate an update a year after my last one, but here we are.
At this time last year, I was in the newborn trenches and naively thought I would be getting back to work as quickly as I did with my first, who was a fantastic sleeper. I knew I wouldn’t get nearly as lucky with sleep with my second, but I figured it would only take slightly longer for her to figure it out. She was beginning to sleep through the night consistently and I felt comfortable enough to ease back into work.
So a few months after I had my kid, I decided to take a on a small project. I told myself, “I can do this!”
*Que this infamous quote from Job Bluth in Arrested Development*
Within days, our family got a cold. Then my husband and I got a stomach bug. Then our family got another cold.
But worst of all, the baby started waking up in the night multiple times, and the contact naps and car seat naps she had been consistently taking were necessary to nap until a few weeks ago.
Yes, you read that correctly. We solely did contact and car seat naps for over a year. And so did those night wake-ups. Did I mention she also wouldn’t take a bottle?
I wanted to return to work, but this child wasn’t having it, and all signs were clearly showing me that it wasn’t the time. After I finished the project, I immediately halted all work and stayed firmly in survival mode for months. We tried everything to improve her sleep and nothing worked until we sleep trained again at a year old. It sucked, but I was not willing to risk going back to work sleep deprived.
While our family is relieved to be slowly easing out of this phase, I still cannot believe I made it to this point. The idea of going back to work felt impossible each month that passed, but I finally feel rested enough to pursue it again.
With all of that said, I am easing back to work VERY slowly. I am a mom of two young kids and there’s only so much I can do, but my goal is to take on more work as my schedule allows with my most recent clients getting first preference. They were extremely understanding and patient during this phase and I am grateful.
But yes, I am (sort of) back to work and I cannot wait to do more as my capacity grows. If you’d like to work with me, please contact me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
While I’m tempted to end this the same way I did last year, I’ll tweak it instead: I hope you enjoy the last week of summer and soon, fall!
Sincerely, Alana
AFJ Digital 