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Unbelievably, Serena Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam singles tournament at the Australian Open in January 2017 – while she was 8 weeks pregnant.
But wait, there's more. Even harder to grasp, for any mother whose body has formed, given life to and nurtured another little human being, is that Serena waded her way back onto the court within a year, this time at Wimbledon where she played Angelique Kerber in the finals.
And then you hear that Serena battled with severe birth complications, major surgery afterwards and postnatal depression, and suddenly she seems nothing short of a celestial being from Greek mythology.
I mean. I was in PJs for a long, long time after a healthy pregnancy and healthy delivery. But let's have a nice Friday and not compare ourselves with Serena Williams's physical and mental prowess.
Yet, as a mom I see her.
Serena has been very open about motherhood, recently admitting that she was on court when Alexis took her first steps. "I cried," she tweeted. Mother Twitter surrounded her with support and love.
Being a working mom is filled with challenges. You're used to giving 150% at work, but now you want to invest 150% in your new baby. You technically only have 100%... something's got to give. You do your best but always feel you're coming up short: besieged with guilt when you're at work because, kids; feeling guilty and antsy at home because you have deadlines you need to meet.
One day when I returned from work, I also heard that baby number two had started walking that morning. And yes man, it cut deep.
But I decided that incident didn't count. It would count when I saw it for myself. And I did, that evening, and the next. I love my children more than life and try to make time for them, always, and make our time together count.
Besides, many a stay-at-home mom has admitted to me that it's not utopian anyway. Even if you have a domestic assistant doing all the household chores, you're still busy. And can be tired, and feel underappreciated and overwhelmed and lonely.
Motherhood can be tough. But I can't imagine my life differently.
Serena revealed she really wants another baby, but she's first going to focus on a career for a little while. She adds that she's not sure she'd even want to play tennis any more after having another baby! But maybe she will.
And so what? Working isn't a Bad Evil Thing. We get to use our talents, live our passions, spread good vibes and help build a world our children will inherit one day.
Read more:
- Morning chaos and the single mom
- Worrying about being the perfect mom makes it more difficult to be a good mom
- Distracted parent? Your child may grow up depressed. Here's how to unplug and engage
- To the working moms out there: we really can have it all
- "I doubt work-life balance and 'having it all' is for the majority of moms"
- Working mom receives encouraging words from her 8-year-old
- "I may be a 'bad mom', but I have a sweet, smart, well-mannered child"
- Being a working mother is not bad for your children
What are you big challenges as a working mom? Working dads, do you feel you're missing out on your children's development? What do you as a family do to stay connected? Send your advice and stories to chatback@parent24.com and we may publish them.
