When I first launched the Working Mum Association, I remember sitting on my sofa thinking, if only this Facebook page reaches a thousand mums’, it will have been a great start. Little did I realise that within four weeks an incredible 13-thousand of you would be on board. I’m all about visbility and putting yourself out there, after all that’s why I run my PR agency, helping female entrepreneurs in particular, do the same through the power of storytelling. It’s all about communicating a message. But nothing prepared me for the response. Nicola J Rowley, Founder of the Working Mum Asso ..read more

Yesterday, I spoke to a room full of like-minded mums about to return to work from maternity leave and start the juggle of work and family life. Looking back at how I felt before I embarked on this journey, similar to becoming a mum for the first time, nothing really prepares you for it. Nothing prepares you for the knots in your stomach when you realise you have to leave the office to collect your child but are being prevented from doing so because of transport issues. Nothing prepares you for the pressure you feel under from every part of your life to have everything perfectly worked out ..read more

Next week, I’m going to be giving a talk to an audience of Working Mums who are either planning to return to work or are weighing up their options. Because one of the most important things for you to remember as a working mum is that you do have options. When I was about to return to work after maternity leave, I didn’t think I had a choice. I had to return because we needed the money, and my company at the time also had a really good financial incentive to go back full-time for six months. It meant that I felt compelled to stay, even though the prospect of returning to my role, filled me w ..read more

This morning marks the start of the second UK Maternal Mental Health Matters Week, with a theme of ‘Support for All’. Worldwide about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth, experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. The thing to remember is that maternal mental disorders are treatable. Sometimes just finding the strength to admit that you have a problem is key to finding the help that you need that will help you feel more like yourself once more. I don’t often talk about this, but after J was born he spent a week in intensive care and it triggere ..read more

This Monday I dropped J off at his first ever all-day holiday camp experience. He was set to enjoy a week full of adventures surrounded by children from his class at school, and lots more besides. Bouncy castles, sack races in the field and lots more fun and games. There’s no way that I would have been able to have laid on the same level of entertainment. So why did I feel so dreadful after I’d dropped him off? It didn’t help that he started stroking my hand as we had to queue in line to get him registered. It was after all, unfamiliar surroundings and although he acts differently, I have to r ..read more

This weekend is Mother’s Day and across the UK for those who are still fortunate to have their mums, or a mother figure in their lives, there will be flowers and celebrations by way of thanks. Because let’s face it our mums are really special and it’s only when we become parents ourselves that we realise how much they have done for us, and in many cases, continue to do so. When I was growing up it was the accepted norm that parents would split the work-life balance with Dad’s going out to work and Mum’s being around to look after us as children. My Mum also managed to re-train as a teach ..read more

As a working mum there are days when it just feels hard to keep going and to keep juggling; especially when all you want to do is retreat back under your duvet and stay there for the rest of the day because you’re ill. This week has definitely been right up there in terms of wanting to retreat. But as with all things, I’ve had to try and balance the need to rest and listen to my body and the need to get through as much as possible within the timeframe I’ve had and to be there for my son. By Tuesday of this week, I was down to just a vocal squeak and was swallowing razor blades. T ..read more

For those of you not familiar with my story, everything changed for me when I had my son four and a half years ago. Up until that point, I had been career focused and thought nothing of working from early until late to get the best possible results for both my clients and the company I worked for. But I struggled with returning to work, mainly because I was only getting to see my little boy for half an hour every day Monday to Friday. It’s not what I’d signed up for when I became a Mum. Added into the mix was a severe case of Separation Anxiety and what it culminated in was a very unhappy p ..read more

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I’d like to focus on a topic that resonates with working mums on a daily basis; stress and the impact it can have on both you, and those closest to you. Researchers across the world have found that the stress levels of working mums are much higher compared to those women who dedicate all their time to either parenting or working. Is it any wonder – with the long hours, lack of sleep and plate juggling that we do on a daily basis? So what can we do to try and make the situation a bit better for ourselves? Nicola J Rowley, Founder of the Wor ..read more

As a working mum it’s easy for us to feel overwhelmed if not for the majority of the time, then for some of it at least. There are so many demands on our time and plates that need to be juggled; sometimes it can feel like it’s a full-time job just being the juggler! I’m no different to you in that as a busy working mum, I sometimes feel the overwhelm creeping up on me. But hopefully this post will at least help you know that you’re definitely not alone in feeling this way, and there are some things that you can do to safeguard your sanity along the way. Nicola J Rowley, Founder of the ..read more