When I went back to work after my second daughter was born, I had a constant fear like an ache in my stomach.
Shannon was six months old and Liz was two and a half. I had to get them out of bed in the morning, dress and feed them, and take them to the sitter’s house. After I finished work for the day, I would bring them home, cook supper, and feed them. My husband was a terrific partner and parent when he was home, but he had a long commute into Chicago from the suburbs, and he worked late and traveled often.
I was terribly afraid, afraid that I wouldn’t have the stamina to work fulltime while caring for very two young children. Plenty of times, I was so tired when I got to work in the morning that the day ahead seemed overwhelming.