“Don’t abandon your dreams, this is possible!”

While many people still believe that women can’t raise children and do their jobs, we firmly believe that everyone should pursue their happiness and make true their dreams.

According to The Atlantic, “while only 2% of working women plan to leave the workforce for family reasons, yet 43% of highly qualified women opt out or off-ramp on their way back to work post-baby”. In addition, millennial mothers are feeling unsupported during the transition from motherhood to working-mom lifestyle.

And while many people still believe that women can’t raise children and do their jobs, we know it is not true. There are a lot of companies who have implemented the best pro-mom workplace policies: General Mills, American Express, Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson, among others “Fortune-500 Companies with Pro-Mom Policies”.

Work & dreams

If you’re a new mom or if you’re struggling with motherhood, you may have a lot of questions and fears. And in MBI Talent Group, we firmly believe that everyone should pursue their dreams and happiness.

For today’s article, we invited Andrea Ibarra, Senior Associate at MBI Talent Group, to share powerful insights on how to succeed as a working mom.

 

Andrea IbarraAndrea Ibarra has a thirteen-months-old toddler: Santiago García Ibarra. Since his arrival, she’s experienced “the purest love that exists in the world”. Andrea enjoys having the opportunity to feel and live an infinite and unconditional love. “I love spending time with him and watching him being so happy”.

Between her career and being a mother, Andrea felt that she had to choose between one thing or another, but she understood that she had to focus on balance: “I want to be a present mom but not to step down on my career. And I always knew that MBI is a place where I can find both things”, she adds.

“Santiago was very easy to handle as a newborn, but when they start to interact, they demand a lot of interaction and games (“Mom, mom, mom, mom!”)”, says Andrea regarding her main challenges. She comments that children want you to be there for them. So she wishes she could have more hours to spend with her son and also working. 

Andrea IbarraRegarding difficult paths, Andrea refers to guilt: “There is also some kind of sensation of guilt, like ‘I wasn’t a good-enough-mom today’ or ‘I wasn’t a good-enough-employee’. But this is part of our role too: being at both places at the same time, without feeling guilty”.

Some tips

Andrea also believes that it is possible to continue with a professional career, assuming challenges and new projects: “Don’t abandon your dreams, this is possible!”. In that sense, she recommends the following tips:

  • Be clear about your expectations.
  • Don’t pursue perfection.
  • Be patient: This is a process and you need time to adapt.

Andrea also suggests that it’s fundamental to have a support network, stay close with everyone and rely on everyone that can help you. “I have fluent communication with my husband, my mom, my mother in law, my nana, my colleagues…”, she explains.  

Finally, being asked about what she would recommend to other new moms, Andrea says “You have to believe in yourself and your capabilities, you can do it!!”.