Tearful Mother Returns To Work Just 12 Days After Giving Birth
Becoming a new parent is one of the great joys in life.
A mother on TikTok shed some light on the struggles that some parents go through when balancing work and being able to spend time with their newborn. Here's her story.
New Mother Returns To Work
Rebecca's video features her in tears while working on some paperwork at a desk.
She has returned to work just 12 days after she had a premature baby at 27 weeks.
Her Baby Is Still In The Hospital
Her baby is still in the hospital, as she has not yet been discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit.
Rebecca says that she is doing this so when her baby is discharged, she will be able to spend the little maternity leave time she has with her.
Hard To See Her Child
It is difficult for a parent to see their child in the hospital.
She shared a video of Eden in the hospital with multiple tubes and wires on her in the NICU.
She Was In An Incubator
Early on, Eden needed to be in an incubator.
In addition to the wires and tubes that she has on her, Rebecca had to reach her hand through a small window in order to touch her.
Difficult To Balance The Needs
Rebecca says that she is finding it very difficult to find the time to pump milk for her daughter while she is at work.
This is because her workplace is dealing with staffing issues.
Will She Have Enough Milk?
She is wondering if she will have enough milk for her daughter when she comes home because her milk supply is diminishing.
She does her best to pump every three hours at work but her work is understaffed so sticking to that schedule is difficult.
How Do Others Do It?
She doesn't know how other parents of children in the NICU can afford to stay at home during their child's stay.
She needs to get back to work so that she can afford the care that her child needs.
Overcome With Guilt
She is dealing with a lot of guilt about working while she really wants to be with her baby.
She again wonders how other parents manage to cope with the guilt that she is going through.
What To Do When The Baby Is Discharged?
This guilt that she is feeling likely will not end when her baby is discharged from the hospital.
Who would then care for her baby when she has to work in order to bring in money for her child?
Don't Burn Out
Many people reached out to Rebecca with support in the comments of her video which was viewed more than 2 million times.
They encouraged her to make sure that she was taking breaks at work and not to worry about her work's staffing issues.
Rights Are Protected
Another person let her know not to be concerned with how long it was taking her to pump milk while at work as that is a protected right.
She was also again told not to worry about her work being short-staffed.
No Judgment
This woman let Rebecca know that the nurses in the NICU are understanding of what she is going through.
They know that it is difficult and she is not able to be there 24/7.
Got To Be With Her Baby
In a follow-up video, Rebecca thanked everyone on TikTok for their support.
The funds they sent her allowed her to take the time off of work she needs in order to spend time and be with her newborn baby.
Eden Is Home!
Eden got strong enough that the doctors were able to let Rebecca bring her daughter home!
As a first-time mother, Rebecca is grateful for the time she is able to spend with her first child.
Wants To Inspire Other Moms
In her follow-up video, Rebecca put out a message to other first-time moms who may be struggling and wondering if they're doing a good enough job.
She wanted them to know that they are all doing their best and to enjoy the moments with their children.
