Mighty Mama: Rachel Chaimovitz and Taking on Motherhood as her New Full-Time Career

Meet Rachel Chaimovitz this week's #MightyMama and mother to 16-month old, Leavitt. Rachel opens up about her motherhood journey, including unexpectedly becoming a stay-at-home mom when she had been planning on returning to work Rachel has embraced full-time motherhood and her baby boy, Leavitt, and shares how he has helped her become the best version of herself.

1. What was your transition to motherhood?

“My transition to motherhood ran the whole spectrum. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a mother, so I was incredibly excited to tackle motherhood head-on. That being said, I had zero baby experience prior to the birth of my son, so I had no clue what I was doing. I was lucky enough to have an incredible support system of family, friends, and fellow new moms to lean on during this transformative phase. Those first few weeks, while riding a roller coaster of fluctuating hormones, it was so incredibly beneficial to open up to other moms about those big, scary thoughts and fears that pop up during this time. There were definitely midnight tears from exhaustion and frustration, but those were balanced by this incredibly intoxicating love I felt for this squishy little baby. In short, it was incredibly difficult and incredibly great.”

2. Share your decision to not return to work full-time and how did this change your perception of motherhood?

“I had always intended to return to work full-time, never dreaming I would leave my professional career behind. I was raised by an incredible working mother who always stressed the importance of independence and self-reliance. This is such an empowering message for children to hear. I had just a week and a half of maternity leave left and had hired a full-time nanny when I received a call from my company's HR department explaining that our previously agreed upon office arrangement would no longer work and that I would have to commute an hour and a half each way into an office outside of Chicago. Within seconds I knew this just wouldn't work for me or my family, and after finding that this was non-negotiable, I made the decision to walk away from a nearly decade-long career. I absolutely tortured myself over this decision. It just wasn't my plan! I couldn't reconcile how I had been raised with my new reality of full-time parent, and I suddenly felt lesser than. I knew immediately this wasn't a healthy or helpful way of thinking, so I reached out to other mothers in similar situations. I even went on a blind mom date! I cannot stress enough how helpful this was to finally find peace with my decision to take on motherhood as my career. The other mothers in my life helped change my perspective completely, showing me that raising children is a job as well. Deciding to go back to work is great, and deciding to be a full-time parent is great. They are not competing for ideals, no one is more valid than the other, and both should be equally celebrated.”

3. How do you maintain your old self while being a mom?

“When Leavitt was born I told my mother the one thing I needed to do every day to be happy was take a shower. What can I say? Set your expectations low so you're pleasantly surprised! Jokes aside, I've found it's the little things that have helped me maintain a strong sense of self in motherhood. Getting dressed every day has always been a huge part of who I am, (I'm that crazy person wearing jeans in quarantine,) so I make it a point to do this every single day. Taking the time to work out at least 5 times a week, reading books, and most importantly, connecting with my girlfriends every single day, are crucial to my mental health. I know that I'm a better mother to Leavitt when I'm taking care of myself.”

4. What advice do you have for other moms grappling with the decision of whether or not to return to work outside of the home?

“Know that you will be a wonderful role model for your child regardless of your career. You will empower them and instill independence in them whether you go into an office every day or not. You need to make this decision for yourself because if you aren't happy, your child will feel that. Also, know that the decision you make today doesn't have to be permanent. You can change your mind, or reinvent yourself at any point. Reach out to friends, ask them if they know any mothers in similar situations that you could talk to.”