Two years ago, I was writing a handover, tying up loose ends and passing projects to the team for what felt like a typical break from work. What I could not get my head around was that I was stepping away for a whole year, not just a short annual leave but for the biggest chapter of my life, becoming a mother.
Until this point the longest break I had taken from work was a week. No handover could have prepared me for the shift ahead.
Having a baby is magical, and I wouldn’t trade my son for anything. But amid the magic is a reality that we don’t often talk about, the raw unfiltered experience of early motherhood.
I went from being a strong, independent woman with control over my time to becoming a full-time carer to a tiny human who fed every two hours, needed round-the-clock attention and often cried for hours on end (sometimes, I did to). And the nappies, let’s just say nothing prepares you for the volume or the colours!
Overstimulated, socially drained and utterly exhausted, it felt like there was nothing left of me for anything or anyone else.
After a baby class, I popped in to visit Wendy, the Founder & Chair of Strategi Solutions, to introduce her to the baby, let’s be honest, I wanted to show him off. We ended up chatting about what might come next after maternity leave. Through gritted teeth, because I wasn’t ready to face it, I admitted I wanted to return to work but with the option of a role closer to home, ideally with the flexibility to be there when my son needed me, but also with the space to reconnect with myself. Not just as “Mum”, but as Megan.
As the return-to-work date approached, the thought of leaving him made me feel physically sick. Then came the settling-in days at childcare. I remember thinking: How could anyone else look after him like I do? Will he think I don’t love him? Mum guilt is very real, and it doesn’t go away.
After months of living in a baby bubble, I’d forgotten how to talk to adults, let alone in a professional setting. But with a successful settling-in period and many supportive conversations with Wendy and Rob, CEO of Strategi Solutions, I signed a new contract and rejoined the team (again!) but this time, in a new role, at a new life stage.
Starting a new job, putting my baby into someone else’s care, and stepping back into the professional world was emotional. Even though I had worked at Strategi Solutions before six years ago, everything felt new. And it felt wrong to be doing something that wasn’t just being Mum. The guilt swallowed me whole.
I stepped into the office and instantly felt celebrated for my return, welcomed warmly and reintroduced and inducted as though I were a brand new, new starter.
By my second week back, my son, Grayson, got sick. I hit my first moment of panic, torn between not wanting to let the team down and needing to be there for him. But thankfully, I was surrounded by a team that got it. They understood I was in a period of transition, and that sometimes, your child needs you, no explanation necessary. Now, a year on, we’ve found our rhythm, and I’m comfortably working in a flexible role that has allowed me to establish myself as Megan again but also my new role as a mother.
These past two years have taught me more than I ever imagined. About resilience. About patience. About rediscovering who I am, both as a mother and as a professional.
To anyone standing on the edge of a similar transition: know this. You won’t feel fully prepared, and that’s okay! Having a baby is a complete life shift. Give yourself grace. Embrace the chaos. And trust that the version of you who comes out the other side will be stronger, wiser, and yes, probably still a bit sleep-deprived.
The team at Strategi Solutions made my return to work not just possible, but positive. I’m incredibly grateful.
