The other day as I watched my favourite morning show on TV, the hosts were discussing challenges faced by young mothers returns to work after their baby. This topic certainly got me thinking – motherhood and what happens to ambition after your baby. It took me back a few years to a time when I returned to work after my maternity leave and the challenges I faced trying to juggle motherhood and ambition. I did have a lucrative job, and looked forward to going back after a few months of leave but I was not that well prepared for the physical, mental and emotional upheavals that ensued. Looking back now, I wonder what I might have done differently if I had thought out and planned my return to work more diligently. I was ambitious and was focused on moving ahead to a better position at work. My work, though did not offer any flexibility concerning working hours or location. That being said, I did have other resources that I could have utilized better, had I given it some thought. My best advice to my younger self would be to work actively towards reducing anxiety and stress. An anxious mother does end up passing on some of her stress to her baby and that needs to addressed as a priority. I remember an instance when my super fussy toddler was refusing to eat and it caused me so much anxiety. My inexpert handling of the situation resulted in the toddler having a complete meltdown. A little maturity and ingenuity from the adult would have had a much pleasanter outcome. What I could have done was to make a list of resources and thought about how best to utilize them. Though unaware of the term, I was racked with ‘mom-guilt'. I always assumed total responsibility for all my baby's needs. Anyone who shared my work was a ‘helper' and I felt obligated taking their assistance and that added to my guilt debt. Since I did have an understanding and willing partner, the wise thing would have been to assign some responsibilities to him and let him deal with the consequences relating to those responsibilities. The next thing would be to outsource some of the additional work that I had. I could have had hired help come in to deal with cooking and cleaning. Also I would certainly advise my younger self to prepare for my returning to work weeks in advance. Prepare and maintain a list of available sources like cousins, parents and friends to babysit and also run errands for the house when I am at work. My thinking at that time was any ‘obligation' to friends and relatives would result in me being judged as incompetent or worse lazy. I now realize that was essential specially in the first few months after returning to work. Also, it is vital to prepare for uncertainties like poor health for both baby and mother. Keep a list of back up resources when the primary source fails. With good planning and optimal utilization of resources, my return to work could have been pleasanter and worked better both for my baby and me.