Moms and the Work-Life Balance

Sociologists have been on this subject for years. When two people have a baby in today's America, it's often the case that one goes back to work with a sense of purpose, and a fire to succeed and provide for the new member of the family. On the flip side, it's too often the case that party member #2 goes back to work and from that day forth feels a tremendous need to be in two places at once.

According to Louann Brizendine, M.D. and author of New York Times Bestseller, The Female Brain, Mothers, especially new ones, have a chemical imbalance ensue when they are separated from their baby for as little as a couple of hours. This chemical is oxytocin, otherwise known as "the cuddle chemical," and new Mothers are flooded with it during nursing, and holding their babies. When Mothers go back to work, they feel the effects of being deprived of their normal levels of oxytocin, and the feeling has been compared to the unquenchable urge to be around someone you recently fell in love with.

Every family is different, and some Mothers are able to put these feelings aside in order to provide for their babies, but some others enter into a stage of depression. Some turn to antidepressants, or discuss a more flexible work schedule with their employer.

If you are a Mom, or plan to become one, it may be worth investing some time into researching Mom-friendly companies that provide benefits like on-site child care, or telecommuting options. A great resource is www.simplyhired.com, a job hunting site that allows seekers to filter job listings by a multitude of requirements; such as, "Mom-friendly." Simply Hired also allows users to search by education, experience, and option to telecommute.

If any Moms out there do check out Simply Hired and find a great family-friendly place to work, feel free to send me a note and tell me all about it. I love a good success story!