My Real Schedule as a First-Time Working Mom

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Before becoming a mom, I had a lot more control over my workday. I could start early, work late, sneak in a workout between meetings, and move things around when a deadline required it. As a working mom, my weekdays have to fit around nursing, pumping, daycare drop-off and pickup, naps, bedtime, and (most importantly) actually spending time with my son.

I co-own and manage a small marketing agency, which gives me a lot more flexibility than a traditional nine-to-five. I work from home most days, set much of my own schedule, and can move work into the evenings or weekends when I need to. I know that isn’t everyone’s reality, and I don’t take that flexibility for granted. And even with that flexibility, fitting a full workweek around a baby is a constant work in progress.

The schedule below is what I would consider our “ideal” workday…but it rarely happens exactly like this. Sometimes my son wakes up earlier, sometimes daycare drop-off takes longer, sometimes I have a deadline that can’t wait until tomorrow, and sometimes I decide I’d rather close my laptop and spend an extra hour with my baby. I also don’t always fit 40 hours of work into Monday through Friday anymore. I often catch up after my son’s bedtime, or work for a few hours on the weekend while my husband gets some 1:1 time with him. 

I definitely don’t think I’ve figured out the perfect way to balance being a working mom, and probably never will. But for now, this is the routine we’re using to make room for my business, our home, and as much time together as a family as possible.

Our Slow Mornings

Mornings aren’t really part of my workday anymore, and that’s intentional. Before daycare drop-off, my priority is spending time with my son and getting both of us ready for the day without feeling like we’re racing out the door. I still manage to squeeze in a few household chores, and occasionally a little work during his first nap, but for the most part, my job can wait until he’s at daycare.

6:00AM to 7:00AM

My son wakes up pretty early, ready to rumble. Although I wish I could get a little more rest, seeing his huge smile as soon as I walk into his room makes it all worth it. I change his (very full) overnight diaper first thing, then we nurse and snuggle for a little bit. Then I bring him to my bathroom and strap him into the bouncer seat while I get ready for the day. I keep the lights dim and softly talk him through my morning routine. (If I had a really poor night of sleep, my husband will do this part before he commutes downtown so I can rest a little longer.)

7:00AM to 8:00AM

The baby and I head downstairs to really get the day started. He enjoys hanging out in his playpen or crawling around the kitchen while I feed the dog, unload the dishwasher, get laundry started, and make coffee and breakfast for myself. (Lately he loves seeing his reflection in the stainless steel appliances and is easily entertained by that for a while.) Then we play together until it’s time for his morning nap. 

8:00AM to 9:00AM

He starts getting sleepy for his first nap between 2 and 2.5 hours after waking up for the day. We usually do this nap as a stroller walk with the dog. If I have a particularly busy workday ahead of me, we will instead do this nap in the baby carrier while I bounce on an exercise ball in my home office. (The bouncing keeps him asleep while I work on my computer.)

9:00AM to 10:00AM

When the baby wakes up from his nap, I nurse him, change his diaper, get him dressed for the day, and prepare his bottles for daycare. 

10:00AM to 11:00AM

After I get home from daycare drop-off, I do my first milk pump of the day while I eat a snack and start work. 

My Busy Afternoons

Once my son is at daycare, I switch into work mode as quickly as possible. Since my uninterrupted work window is much shorter than it used to be, I’ve had to become more efficient about what I do with it. I try to schedule anything that requires my full attention (such as client meetings) during these hours and save smaller tasks for the edges of my day. Of course, “uninterrupted” is relative. I’m still pumping, doing a few things around the house, taking care of our dog, and refreshing the daycare app more often than I probably need to. 

11:00AM to 4:00PM

This is the most focused part of my workday. I schedule any client meetings during this window while my son is at daycare. I take short breaks to move the laundry over and let the dog out, and pump milk when I take a break for lunch. I frequently check our daycare’s communication app to see if they have posted any updates about how he’s doing. He usually takes two naps at daycare (around noon and 3:00PM) and drinks a bottle after each nap. 

4:00PM to 5:00PM

I tie up loose ends at work, squeeze in a 3rd milk pump if necessary, finish putting away laundry, and head over to daycare to pick up my son. 

Our Cozy Evenings

Once I pick my son up from daycare, I make a point to put work aside until he goes to sleep. That doesn’t mean I’m always finished working for the day (I often have more to do after his bedtime), but I don’t want the few hours we have together in the evening to feel like I’m just waiting until I can open my laptop again. Evenings with my baby are intentionally pretty slow, and I absolutely love the quality time we get before his bedtime. Then my husband and I have a few hours to fit in everything else: exercise, dinner, work, and hopefully a little time together (mostly to watch trashy reality TV) before doing it all again the next day.

5:00PM to 6:00PM

Once I bring my baby home from daycare, we have about an hour to play together before we start our bedtime routine. If we didn’t get a chance to go on a stroller walk with the dog that morning, we will usually do it at this time. If my husband is able to get home from work early, he spends evening playtime and bathtime with us as well. 

6:00PM to 7:00PM

We enjoy having a slow and chill bedtime routine. The baby takes a long warm bath, then I put on his overnight diaper and cozy pajamas. If we have any extra time before he gets too sleepy, we’ll read a couple of books together (or I’ll attempt to read while he swats and shrieks at them). Then I nurse him, gently put him in his crib, and rub his back until he is sound asleep. 

7:00PM to 10:00PM

As soon as I sneak out of his room, I grab the baby monitor and enjoy a quick workout in my home gym. Then I shower and have dinner with my husband. (He usually cooks for us while I am putting the baby to sleep.) We both often have to get back to work after dinner, either in our home offices or together on the couch while we have a TV show on in the background. I always make sure to run the dishwasher before bed, so that my pump parts and the baby’s bottles are clean for the next day. 

10:00PM

I try to get in bed by this time. At this age, my baby still wakes up at least twice to nurse during the night but is quick to settle…so on a good night, I get about seven total hours of sleep (but on a bad night, it’s closer to four hours). 

I’m Still Learning How to Balance Baby and Business

I’ve learned pretty quickly that balancing motherhood and work isn’t really about finding the perfect schedule: it’s about having enough of a routine to keep our days moving, while staying flexible enough to throw that routine out when real life requires it.

Some days, I get a solid stretch of focused work while my son is at daycare, finish what I need to finish after bedtime, get a workout in, and go to sleep feeling like I somehow managed to fit everything together. Other days, he sleeps poorly, I have back-to-back meetings, the laundry sits in the dryer, and I end the day with a longer to-do list than I started with. However, I’m trying not to measure the success of either kind of day by how “productive” I am.

Even on hard days, I remind myself that I’m a good business owner, and an even better mom. Going back to work has made me much more protective of the time I have with my son. It’s also made me realize that “balance” probably isn’t going to mean giving every part of my life an equal amount of time every day. Right now, it looks more like deciding what needs my attention in this particular season, and being willing to pivot when things change. 

I’m incredibly grateful that owning a business gives me the flexibility to build my work around my family more than I otherwise could, but flexibility doesn’t magically create more hours in the day. Sometimes work spills into the evening or happens on the weekend, and sometimes work simply has to wait. My son is more important. 

This schedule will probably look completely different six months from now as my baby gets older, his routine changes, and I get more comfortable in this new role as a working mom. But for now, this is what works for our family. 

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