Multifamily Mommy: Apartments, Diapers and Work… OH MY!

I’m 30. There, I said it, I got it out there. I’m 30 and my husband and I just had our very first baby, 3 weeks ago. Up until now, we both favored college and then careers over family. We wanted to be established, be able to provide for a child before we committed to having one. For the last few years, thankfully, we’re at a point where we can provide the way we want to and so the “having a baby” journey, began.

So why am I telling you this? Well… at 30, I’m established in my career and my husband and I are accustomed to having fun and traveling… and with a baby, well, a LOT of things will have to change… or will it? If you read any “mommy” books or blogs, many describe motherhood and caring for a child as the single hardest thing they’ve ever done… clearly they’ve never worked during budget season for a multifamily company, but I digress…

Admittedly, I am no expert on the subject of being a working mom just yet, but I’ve learned a lot in the past 3 weeks. Many of you might assume that I am on maternity leave… and while I am, sort of, I’m still working about 25-30 hours a week (from home). So I’ve sort of gotten a crash course in this whole dual role thing and I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed with myself. Maybe I’m lucky and I have a good baby… but with a little perseverance and determination, I have to say… this isn’t as hard as I thought it would be or nearly as hard as “they” say.

GASP!

So let me take you through a typical day with me, my husband and my tot.

6am: Change and feed the baby

7am: Grab some coffee, a bite to eat (sometimes), check and respond to email.

10am: Change and feed the baby, He goes to sleep

10am to 2pm: Work from home (both of us)

2pm: Change and feed the baby, He has tummy time, we play with him a little, he makes cute faces, baby falls asleep

2pm to 4pm: Work from home (both of us), have some lunch if we’re hungry

4pm: Baby wakes up and wants some attention… we change him, we snuggle, hold, kiss, play, love, etc…

5pm: Baby wants to just chill in his swing, on his colorful mat or right next to either Mommy or Daddy

5pm to 7pm: Work from home (both of us)

7pm: Change and feed the baby… he usually just hangs out again, we read, we sing, snuggle, etc…

7pm: Dinner for Mommy & Daddy

9pm: Baby is asleep; we head upstairs and go to bed, we sleep or relax/watch tv

11pm: Change and feed the baby, he typically goes back to sleep, we sleep

3am: Change and feed the baby, he typically goes back to sleep, we sleep

TOTALS:

Work- 8 hours, spread throughout the day

Sleep- 7 to 9 hours, in 3 to 4 hour blocks at night

Baby- Plenty of baby interaction and time, but maximizing our time while he is discovering things on his own and asleep.

Now, that’s just our schedule, maybe you have something different… but this works for us and allows us to still be productive employees (my husband owns his company), be the loving & attentive parents we wanted to be and still get the food & sleep we need to function.

So what does this have to do with Multifamily? Well… a lot. We are an industry FULL of women; Just take a look around on-site or even at the corporate office, WOMEN! It’s not a gender biased thing, it’s just that there are a lot of women who flock to the industry and I’m here to tell you… being a working mom in the multifamily business is possible and not that difficult, if you have the self motivation and the determination.

Like with everything at work and in life, when merging the two, we’re simply balancing. How you choose to balance depends on you… but it can be done, successfully.

Do you have to give up your careers aspirations (Community Manager, Regional Director, Director of Training, VP of Management or higher) when you have a baby? NO!

Do you have to sacrifice time with your child for your career? NO!

Can you still maintain as a department head (in my case) at a multifamily company and have a baby? YES!

Is it possible to be a true “working mom” in our business? YES!

Is having a baby always as all consuming as “they say”? NO!

The last few weeks have shown me that I am stronger than I thought, able to accomplish more than I could even imagine, that I have the ability to love more deeply, that I still have time for my friends, and my husband and I don’t have to give up the things we like to do. Basically, I’ve learned, that like with most things… it’s all about how your approach the situation and your personal motivation. In multifamily, we’re fortunate, because many of us have “normal” working hours (in all positions, on-site and corporate), the majority of us are closed on holidays and a lot of positions (especially on-site ones) have a great deal of flexibility.

For me, being a working mother is seamless because I want to be a mother (the best there ever was) and I want to work in the multifamily industry (and be groundbreaking and exceptional). I’m not sacrificing one for the other; I’m merely making room for both.