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Having It All

One Mom's Story of a Short Maternity Leave

By Susan C. Lavington

I gave birth to beautiful identical twin girls six weeks ago. I started back to work today, six weeks ahead of schedule. Why? That is what everyone is asking me. Nobody is forcing me to come back to work. On the contrary, I have the rare and wonderful boss who has supported me every step of the way during a difficult pregnancy.

Like many multiple birth pregnancies, I had to go on bed rest. My boss understood and supported my decision to work from home and encouraged me to take it easy. When I told him that I wanted to cut my maternity leave short, he bent over backward to ensure that I didn't feel pressure to come back to work. He tells me constantly that my babies are more important than anything that happens at work, and he wants me to make them my first priority.

So, why then am I going back to work so soon? First, let me say that I love being a mother. It is better than I ever believed it could be. When people find out you are pregnant with twins, they start telling you horror stories about endless sleepless nights, screaming babies and the overwhelming work involved. Well, I am happy to report that we are all doing fine. In fact, we are doing better than fine – we are doing great.

My wonderful husband is also a wonderful father. My girls are healthy and happy angels. I'm fortunate to have babies that sleep well, eat well and rarely cry. I actually love getting up in the middle of the night to feed the girls. I never get tired of it. I feel so blessed that I had two babies at once. I would love to have another set of twins – or even triplets! I am the happiest I've ever been.

Want to see more?

• CEO of Everything: Balancing Career and Family
• To Work or Not to Work: The Mother's Dilemma
• Moms at Work: Is Returning to Work Right for You?
• Talk about it!

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