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This March, we’re celebrating Mum & More month. We know that becoming a mum can change your world entirely and whilst that’s often an incredible change, many of us feel lost or forget who we are.
As part of our International Women’s Day celebration this year, we asked you for your stories and experiences surrounding gender stereotypes, bias, and how you challenged perceptions of women and motherhood.
“Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.”
International Women’s Day Website
The following submission comes from our very own Rachel, who discusses going back to work after maternity leave.
I’m a busy mum to 3 young children, twins Rose and Evelyn, (5) and toddler Leo (2). Life can be hectic and some days it feels like I’m never able to give my whole self to each part of my life. Being a mum, navigating school life, work, our dog (who has health issues), trying to have some me time and see friends and family!
I joined Mum & You when my twins were 2 and I hadn’t been back to work yet since my maternity. I felt like I was hesitantly dipping my toe in, my brain was mush and I’d lost all my confidence since the craziness of having twins and being a first time mum. Mum & You opened their arms, eased me in gently and really helped me feel I belong and get a bit of me back. I work part-time and have slowly increased my hours and responsibility over the years as I emerge from the fog that is having children under 5. I’ve always felt supported here, like when I left for my second maternity leave with Leo and shared the leave with my husband.
I now work from home after I moved across the country to be closer to friends and family for support. Mum & You saw it was right for me and my family and trusted that I could still perform my job working remotely. Now I get to travel to the office occasionally and spend a night in a hotel which is actually a lovely break!
Mum & More Month and International Women’s Day has given me time to reflect on how lucky I am to be in a company that values mothers in the workplace and gives everyone the flexibility and trust to work in a way that works for them. It’s sadly still not seen amongst many companies, even post-pandemic and I personally have many friends who have had flexible work requests turned down without just reason or unfairly facing redundancy while on maternity leave.
I’ve also been taking time to give myself a big well done, something I think many of us struggle to do, for doing a pretty great job at both work and home life, switching between the two simultaneously while juggling everything and trying to recognise that some days it’s hard and I’m doing my best. I’ve been making mini self-care changes too, to look after myself better as I know it gives me more energy to handle everything else.
Rachel
Thank you for sharing your personal experience with us.
View more Mum & More Month content here and keep an eye out for new content going live every day!
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