We Love Our Babies In the Office

Parental leave in the United States is severely lacking. I experienced the heartbreak of leaving my first child in daycare at just six weeks old.

Too many parents know that pain. You already had six weeks of no income and now must leave your child before you feel ready.

We are very fortunate to have a family-friendly office at Lexington Family Magazine. If the schools have a Snow Day, it’s not unusual to see our kids here while we get a little work done.

Our editor took that commitment to family one step further when my son was born. John and I batted around the idea of Ezra coming to work with me and the consensus was “Let’s try it out.”

The experiment was a success, and my son came to work with me until he was about eight months old.

Now, we have two new office mates: My daughter, Gwendolyn, who was born in May, and our account representative Natashia’s daughter Savannah Rain, who was born in July.

Our office furniture includes a baby swing, a travel crib and a diaper bin. There is no denying when you walk in the door that babies are welcome here.

Other employers may think that a baby in the office is a distraction.

But in reality, I can focus on work because I’m not stressed about leaving my baby. I’m not distracted with wondering if she is okay. I don’t need to take multiple pump breaks because I can just nurse her while I proofread articles.

I’m grateful we took the chance on bringing babies in to the workplace. Our operation still runs smoothly, and we get plenty of snuggles and smiles to boot.