Transition time, staying plugged in and social networking are keys to better career/family balance By, Eryn Travis

According to a recent survey from ForbesWoman and The Bump.com, the "sweet spot" for having a baby and career is 29. Sixty-two percent of respondents felt that motherhood negatively impacts a woman's career and many reported negative feelings upon returning to work.Yikes. So, what's a mom to do! Personally, I've been a "work full time in the office mom," a "work part time in the office mom," and a so-called stay-at-home mom as long as being a stay-at-home mom means freelance writing gigs and graduate school mixed with playgrounds, poopy diapers and other family duties. If you've ever done the dishes while brainstorming for a client and supervising play-doh time, you know what I mean. For insight into this survey and advice based on its results, I went to the reporters who cover these issues for ForbesWoman and The Bump.com. Keys to a better family/career balance include increased transition time from maternity leave to full time work, staying plugged in while away from an office job, social networking and talking with other mothers in your shoes, according to ForbesWoman Reporter Jenna Goudreau and Kate Ward, site director of The Bump.com.

There is a difference between whether a mom wants to return to the workplace or has to return for financial reasons. Goudreau pointed out that those moms who wanted to return did not experience as many negative reactions and those forced back to the office. "My take-away is that new moms may need more transitional time-whether an extended maternity leave or temporary part-time schedule-to help them ease back into work without negatively impacting their careers in the long term," Goudreau said.

She also noted that the United States falls behind most countries in the way of parental support, with no program for maternity leave benefits and just 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. As a comparison, Norway offers 42-52 weeks of paid maternity leave with 100% of leave benefits. Both of these figures are taken from the 2009 Global Gender Gap report.Another negative wrinkle, according to Goudreau, is the idea of being "mommy-tracked.""Many women have told me that once they've had a child, they feel their priorities shift (at least for a time) to family over work. They say at work they become distracted by thoughts of the new baby, and worry that they are missing essential moments," she said. " And, at the same time that they worry they will be "mommy-tracked" in their careers. Some moms are reporting that they "mommy-tracked" themselves by not going for big projects or vying for a promotion because they didn't want even more expectations or responsibilities placed on them at an already tough time."Feeling torn between family and home is not a new phenomena, but today's technology provides a bright spot. Moms on maternity leave or who have transitioned from office work to family work can help protect their careers by staying "plugged-in," Goudreau said.

"By keeping up to date with her skills, social networks and industry news she'll be more prepared and confident for a future return to work," she said. Taking classes or volunteering are other ways to keep skills fresh.

"Another issue that moms face is explaining career gaps due to children when interviewing. If they are able to prove that they've remained active even while out of the workforce, they'll be in a much better position," Goudreau explained. ForbesWoman provides resources for moms in the workplace and moms who are making the transition back to the office. Recent articles have included how to negotiate a raise, networking, how to change careers and how to interview well. One key to sanity is remembering that none of this is easy.

"The challenge of balancing career, baby, and your marriage... is a challenge! This juggle and how to overcome it is one of the hot topics for moms on TheBump.com Working Moms message board," Ward said." No matter how much you think you can prepare for life with baby and still have a successful career, you don't really know what will work best for you to balance everything until you actually go through it."

Seeking out other moms also helps."One of the best things new moms can do for themselves is to talk to other working moms at their place of employment. Nothing can make you feel better than talking to someone else who has been there and lived through it," she said. Ward said that some of that advice may to be ask their employer if they can ease back into working full time. Some moms have found that by going back to work one or two days a week after two months, they can extend a part-time maternity leave to four or five months.

"Other moms will be able to give you relevant advice that actually works and they can also assure you that what you're going through is, yes, totally normal."

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Eryn Travis, BTBS member and writer: http://www.examiner.com/x-22075-West-Chester-Parenting-Examiner~y20...