my beautiful son, that time flew by in a blink of an eye. Although I only had to take care of myself and my new son, it took me at least 6 weeks to feel somewhat human again. No one can prepare a new mother for the exhaustion she will feel in those first few weeks. Once I felt well-rested enough to enjoy my new baby, I only had a couple weeks more before I needed to be back on the job. Thankfully, I already had daycare arranged. So I used this time to practice pumping (I was breastfeeding) and feeding my baby with a bottle. To be honest, I was looking forward to going back to work. But I felt guilty for feeling this way. And I was scared that I couldn't handle the demands of my job and the demands of a new baby -- especially with limited sleep. Even so, I knew that we couldn't afford to have me stay home full-time. I also knew that I liked working and that it was an important source of personal fulfillment. So, now, when I feel guilty about leaving my son and heading off to work in the morning (and I still do sometimes), I remind myself that all his basic needs are being met. He is in a safe and loving environment. And it turns out, I have more energy to give to him at the end of the workday then I did when I was at home