Disclaimer before we start: your experience may look completely different from mine. It depends on your village, your support system, and the kind of flexibility your work allows. No two moms have the same story — and that’s actually beautiful. My village is my husband, my mom, my MIL. They make it possible to work the way I do, our mom’s both step in to watch him when we need help and I’m thankful for it!
If you take nothing else from this, let it be this: you will constantly be evaluating and changing what you’re doing to meet your needs, and that is more than okay. Honestly, it’s the only constant in working motherhood. You’ll try one thing, it’ll work for a while, and then your baby will hit a new stage and everything shifts. If I could hug you through the screen right now, I would.
I think often of Neha Ruch, founder of Motherhood Untitled, and how her work feels like a lifeline. I wish I could gift the book to every working mom friend I know. It’s a reminder that our paths don’t have to look the same, but we all deserve more perspective, more support, and more grace.
What makes my story a little unique is that I’ve been on both sides: first in an in-house role, logging into a corporate job with a baby at home, and now freelancing full-time, running my own business with a toddler. The mental load has shifted with each stage of motherhood and with each stage of my career. Here’s how it’s looked for me, season by season.
I’ll be honest. My body was not healed. Candidly, I was barely out of a diaper myself when I had to think about going back to work. Everyone warns you the early weeks are hard, but what no one tells you is how jarring it is to return to work while you’re still recovering.
That first month back was brutal. You’re balancing a healing body, a baby who still feels brand new, and a career that hasn’t slowed down just because your world did. For me, I layered in starting a brand-new job after maternity leave. Right before leave was up though, I also had a baby that started teething at 3 months lol.
@bymeganvwest 3 months is so early for teeth help #teething #firsttimemom #newmom #teethingbabies #sendhelp
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
Just when you think you’re finding a rhythm, the sleep regression hits. For us, it was so bad we kept our baby in the Snoo until seven months. We ended up co-sleeping to survive. And thank God for Little Spoon because we were too tired to cook and leaned hard on those meals.
I was running on caffeine and adrenaline, sending emails at odd hours, taking meetings while rocking a baby, and trying to look like I had it together when I absolutely didn’t. This stage is messy, but you do come out the other side.
@bymeganvwest Teething, 4 month sleep regression, AND nap protest 🥰🤍 #tired #wahm #workathomemom #remotework #balance #chaos #firsttimemom #childcareshortage #childcarecrisis #bffr
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
Around six months you start to think, maybe I’ve got this. Naps are predictable, you’re juggling work and feedings like a pro. And then mobility hits. Suddenly they need more engagement, more supervision, and more of you than you even knew was possible. Oh, and now you’re cooking actual meals because solids are in the mix.
I don’t want to scare anyone, but this is when we as a family began getting sick basically for a year straight. It’s embarassing, but I embedded a video of me with pink eye 🙂 You get yourself worked up about the first sicknesses, but then you just battle it as a family for a year straight lol.
Literally the takeaway at this time was that when you start to feel comfortable, the stage changes or life happens, you just gotta roll with the punches.
@bymeganvwest BFFR with this pink eye lol #productmarketing #contentmarketing #bffr #marketinggirlies #communitymanagement
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
The walking stage changes everything. Our son also decided naps were optional for about a month. Spoiler: naps are not optional for babies or moms.
This was also the season when our baby and dog became inseparable best friends. It was adorable, but it came with new challenges. He’d hand the dog toys (which the dog would destroy) and share his food constantly. Keeping the two of them separated became a full-time job of its own.
@bymeganvwest Cannot keep up with this kid #workingmom #workingmomsoftiktok #workingmomlife #workingmomditl #toddlersoftiktok #crazybaby
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
This stage was tough, i felt like myself again but the tiktok I just embedded says it all. 12-15 month olds require a ton of attention. I set him up with a snack, we got a movie playing, then the dog started losing it because the baby was losing it. Honestly, my nervous system is all fired up watching this back, but maybe if you’re rolling with the punches right now you just need some encouragement. Separation anxiety peaks twice, once at a year old, and again at like 1.5 years old.
It’s okay for your kids to cry and whine if they are safe, they have everything they need, it just is hard for them when you’re working. in this instance, it was a really important to call, so I just had to sit and wait it out, but wow I know I am not the only mom who has experienced this. I took this video so my husband could see how bad I was struggling, it’s hard to imagine when you describe it just how over stimulating these types of moments are. You should look in the comments on the video, lots of other moms commenting too!
@bymeganvwest This went on for 30 minutes this morning— my nervous system is so shot lmao #wfhmom #wfhmomlife #overstimulated #overstimulatedmom #workingmom #workingmoms #workingmomsoftiktok #remoteworklife #momlifebelike #momlife
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
Toddlers at this age are hilarious. They’re curious, fun, and so full of personality. I had more joy in this season than I expected.
Work-wise, this was when freelancing became real. After a layoff, I leaned all the way in, building something for myself. The flexibility was a gift, but the mental load was heavy too. I was carrying every role — mom, business owner, marketer, household manager — all at once.
Also, you can hear I’m talking about how it’s better, as I am sniffling through another cold we caught lol. The other video is a nice reference, cause as I write this, I can’t even remember 6 months ago what my schedule was like, and what was “working well.”
@bymeganvwest Idk what mom needs to hear this today, but give it a year you’ll be out of the trenches soon!!! #momsoftiktok #momlifebelike #workingmom #wfhmom #wfhmomlife #wfhmoms #workfromhome #wahm #workathome
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
@bymeganvwest I’m tired just thinking about making it to Friday every week 😴#workingmomlife #workingmomschedule #wfhroutine #workingparents #workingmomlife #wfhm #wfhmomlife #tired #tiredmom
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
This is the stage we’re in now, and it’s no joke. My son has opinions. He talks, he negotiates, he climbs, he closes my laptop mid-email. He doesn’t give a shit if I have a deadline. Mama, CARS now. Mama, OUTSIDE. Mama, MEAL.
We joined Lifetime Fitness for childcare (you can read about that here because it has been a lifesaver). We’re juggling toddler activities, evaluating preschool timing, and navigating potty training. And at the same time, I’m asking myself big career questions. Do I keep freelancing? Do I go back in-house? Do I do both?
This stage feels long, and it’s full of reevaluating. But I know in another six months it will look completely different again.
@bymeganvwest I love that we share a space but also it is crammed in here 🫠🫠
♬ original sound – Megan West | WFH Mom
Working from home with a baby or toddler isn’t linear. It’s not something you figure out once and then coast through. It’s a constant cycle of testing, adjusting, and starting over. Each stage brings new challenges and new joys, and the mental load shifts right along with them. I am sure 2-3 I have a ton of fun in store, or maybe it won’t be possible to show up for work and be a mom who knows!
If you’re in it right now, I hope you feel a little less alone reading this. We’re all figuring it out as we go. And that’s more than enough.
👉 My unfiltered version of being a mom def is on TikTok where I share the real-life version, unfiltered.
