The Village We Build at Work
You might think this isn’t for you. Maybe you’re not a mom, or you don’t plan to be one. Maybe you’re a man, or you’ve never experienced postpartum anything. But I’m asking you to keep reading anyway. Because the truth is, innovation and growth in any company comes down to one thing: how people show up for each other. And that starts with understanding where your team actually is.
When I had my second daughter in 2025, I knew one thing for certain: I was going to breastfeed for a year. But as a business professional, I also knew that keeping up my milk supply without being an overproducer was going to require something I couldn’t provide on my own. It was going to require support.
Before I returned to the office, I posted something to LinkedIn asking other moms about their experiences coming back to work while breastfeeding. What I found was striking: if the work environment wasn’t supportive or inclusive of a mom’s breastfeeding journey, she was far less likely to meet her longer-term goals. Sure, moms could technically succeed without support, but that barrier made it exponentially harder. They were more likely to give up on their journey to feed their kiddo simply because they weren’t getting what they needed from work.
This wasn’t just my observation. It was a pattern. And it made me realize something important: when an organization supports a nursing mom, they’re not just being kind. They’re actively participating in that village that feeds a baby. They have a direct role in a newborn’s nutrition and health.
Mental Health Matters First
But before we even talk about returning to work, we need to talk about what happens before that. About one in five birthing women develop a mental health condition around pregnancy and postpartum; whether that’s depression, anxiety, or OCD. Yet these numbers are likely underreported because so many women don’t seek help. They feel like something is wrong with them. They think they need to be stronger, to endure it alone.
I buy a copy of Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts for every new mom I know, because I want them to understand this: what you’re experiencing is a hormone imbalance. It’s treatable, and you can ask for help without being judged.
The First Time Around: Pandemic Parenting
My first daughter was born in March of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. Everything was different then. But when I returned to work, my HR manager gave me advice I still use today. She sat me down and said: Block your calendar. Schedule your pump times. Make it nonnegotiable. Then communicate that with your team.
It sounds simple, but it was revolutionary. I wasn’t asking for permission or apologizing for my needs. I was setting boundaries that everyone could see and respect.
Just as importantly, I communicated with my teams about what I needed. I didn’t assume they understood. I didn’t hope they’d figure it out. I told them directly: This is my journey, and I need your help. But I also came at it with empathy…because this wasn’t just about me. It was about all of us and how we work together as a team.
The Second Time: Asking for What You Need
By the time my second daughter arrived, I knew my history. I had postpartum anxiety before. So before I came back, I scheduled time with Brian (aka my manager) and we had real conversations. I was vulnerable. I said: I have a history of postpartum anxiety, and here’s what I need help with. What are my options for still being there for my kiddo?
Brian deserves credit here. He didn’t just say supportive things. He acted on them. He told me: We’re flexible with schedule. If you need time with your kiddo, go do it. We’ll make it work.
And my workplace backed that up. My husband brought our baby in over my lunch period so I could breastfeed. Sometimes it wasn’t even during lunch, it was mid-afternoon during what would have been a pump session. I could leave work to go feed my baby at my mother-in-law’s house. There was flexibility, understanding, and real support.
That flexibility wasn’t a luxury. It was what made my goals achievable.
A Message for Leaders
If you’re in a leadership role, here’s what I want you to know: People have lives. Both men and women have kids. But women experience three major hormonal shifts in their lifetime, puberty, motherhood, and menopause. And those shifts are massive in ways that most people don’t fully appreciate.
That’s life happening. And for women to show up and be our best selves, because we are great contributors to the workforce, we need awareness from our peers. We need environments where we can have open, honest conversations about where we’re at so we can support each other. When that happens, women support their teams too. And we’re all better together.
The adage ‘it takes a village’ is relevant in all aspects of our lives, let’s be intentional about the one we build at work.
