Working & Motherhood - Advice and Essays - Motherly
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Work & Motherhood

The choices can feel overwhelming, but remember – you’re not alone. Get fresh inspiration and perspective with advice from real mamas.

Mom holding baby while baby gives her kisses on her chin

Back-to-work after baby: 12 practical micro-habits that reduce the whiplash

The back-to-work transition does not have to be a shock to your system. These simple, repeatable micro-habits help you protect recovery, keep feeding on track and feel like yourself again at work and at home.

Identity Shift Working Mom

The quiet identity shift of becoming a working mom

Returning to work after baby is more than a schedule change. It is a shift in who you are, what you value and how you move through your day. Here is language for what you are feeling, plus a plan to make the transition kinder.

Motherhood Tax

The motherhood tax: why women still pay more

The motherhood tax is real, and it shows up in three places at once: lower earnings, higher prices, and more unpaid time. Here is what is driving it in 2025, plus practical steps to reclaim money, time, and power.

Being Family Safety Net

The invisible weight of being the family safety net

When you are the one everyone calls for rides, rent and reassurance, it can feel like love and pressure at the same time. Here is what the data says about the growing squeeze on families and a practical plan to protect your well-being while you care for the people you love.

Career Growth Family Life

Habits moms use to balance career growth and family life: 6 that matter

You do not need a 5 a.m. club or a color-coded command center to grow at work and feel present at home. 6 habits that are realistic, repeatable, and proven to reduce stress while moving your career forward.

mom carrying her baby in a work meeting

This mom brought her baby to a meeting—and reminded us what true workplace support look

A working mom nervously brought her baby to a meeting—but instead of judgment, she found laughter, care, and a glimpse of what family-first workplaces could be

moms sharing experiences abound financial dependency

Stay-at-home mom describes the uneasy shift from earning to ‘our money’—and why so many relate

When a stay-at-home mom admitted that spending “our money” still feels uncomfortable, millions of parents nodded along.

working mom

Someone at work questioned my ambition because I’m a mom. The irony? He was a dad

When pitching an investor, I got a question that stopped me in my tracks. Here’s how I wish I had responded—and what it taught me about proving the doubters wrong.

I used to glorify hustle—motherhood taught me to prioritize presence

And suddenly, the markers of success I used to chase didn’t matter as much as the moments I didn’t want to miss

moms leaving workforce

The number of working moms with young kids just hit a 3-year low — here’s why

Child care costs, rigid schedules, and shrinking flexibility are forcing many to ask: how long can I really keep this going?

Summer camp - a woman lying on a towel with two children on her back

Summer break is costing parents more than just time—here’s how debt is becoming the new normal for child care

“As much as they’d love to take a bunch of time off during the summer to spend with their kids, that just isn’t a realistic thing for most Americans..."

a group of people in a dance studio

Ballet moms are done hiding their postpartum bodies—and they’re changing the rules of the stage

“We’re told we should do it ‘for the love of the art form,’ but we still have bills to pay and families to raise.”

Cheyenne Parker

WNBA player hid her pregnancy to protect her job—now her story is exposing the pressure working moms still face

“I have a right to reproduce as a woman,” she says. “Just like men have a right to start families, so do we.”

Lilo and Stitch

She’s not a mom—but Nani from Lilo & Stitch shows what real motherhood looks like

But in the heart of Lilo & Stitch lives one of Disney’s most powerful portrayals of motherhood—and she’s not even a mom.

mom breastfeeding

Washington just passed one of the strongest lactation protection laws in the U.S.

On May 20, 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5217, a landmark bill...

Connie Britton opens up about single motherhood, guilt, and the power of community

The actress and advocate joins Motherly co-founder Liz Tenety to reflect on identity shifts, solo parenting, and what it means to ‘get your pink back.’

women in politics

Study reveals the powerful reason girls who see women run for office are more likely to vote

A groundbreaking study discovered that girls exposed to a woman running a viable campaign for a visible political office were significantly more likely to vote as adults

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