Six months after her son Benedict was born, Skye was looking forward to getting back to work.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, the pandemic has thrown the project manager's best-laid plans into a spin but true to form, Skye and husband Jonathan have found a unique way to manage life.<\/p>\n
We've been following Skye's journey into motherhood since she wrote to us about her parenting fears.<\/p>\n
Last time we spoke, the 37-year-old Sydneysider was finding her feet after \"baby blues\", and going into work with her husband at the family business, Benny in tow, for a sense of normalcy.<\/p>\n
A key part of what helped make motherhood work for Skye was her \"village\". As for so many new mums, social distancing has taken that away.<\/p>\n
We spoke to Skye about working and caring for Benny (now eight months old) full time, and how the pandemic has changed their life.<\/p>\n
She's one of many people ABC Life heard from during our series on being childfree by choice. And now she's a new mum, we're checking back in.<\/p>\n
When Skye returned to work full time earlier in the year, child care for Benny was shared between her sister-in-law, parents and a nanny.<\/p>\n
\"It was working out really well.<\/p>\n
\"I did feel a bit weird [going back to work] because it felt like starting out again.\"<\/p>\n
One of Skye's fears when we spoke to her before she gave birth was falling behind in the industry.<\/p>\n
But she's really enjoying being back.<\/p>\n
\"It's something that's for me.\"<\/p>\n
She also worried about the \"crushing expectations\" from society for mothers to be superheros.<\/p>\n
Losing her village with social distancing has really put that to the test.<\/p>\n
\"That was a bit rough. The sister-in-law has to stay away and I can't be with my mum and dad.<\/p>\n
\"I remember being on the phone to my mum the night before and I was about to break out in tears.\"<\/p>\n
The first day of working from home with Benny, Skye says she \"cracked it\".<\/p>\n
\"I was doing everything the caregiving, the cleaning, the laundry. It amplified those gender-specific tasks I had been trying to avoid [when becoming a mum].\"<\/p>\n
Her and Jonathan switched up the arrangement to instead share the family business office (which is currently empty), each having half a day there, while the other cares for Benny at home, doing as much work as they can.<\/p>\n
\"It's more about time management. I do some work while Benny is asleep at night,\" Skye says.<\/p>\n
Skye is enjoying Benny more than ever as he becomes more interactive.<\/p>\n
\"Looking after him is actually quite fun, he's doing more wonderful things.\"<\/p>\n
And while she describes her time with him sometimes like \"looking after a drunk friend\", it's the bonding time she loves the most.<\/p>\n
\"When I have him in my arms, it's a feeling of 'it's not about me, it's about him'. And that is a nice feeling.\"<\/p>\n
She's also really loved seeing how much happiness Benny has brought other loved ones.<\/p>\n
\"Watching Mum and Dad be grandparents is amazing, and watching Jon's sister be an aunty, that's incredible.<\/p>\n
\"I would have missed that if he wasn't around.\"<\/p>\n
The coronavirus crisis and climate change have left Skye feeling anxious about Benny's future.<\/p>\n
\"I'm definitely very sad about what sort of world I'm leaving to him,\" she says.<\/p>\n
\"There have been moments I've felt angry or depressed.\"<\/p>\n
On the upside, she's loving their time together.<\/p>\n
\"Being able to adjust working flexibility and getting this time to reconnect that is a positive.<\/p>\n
\"I'm actually enjoying the time I'm getting with the little fella, which I wouldn't have gotten without the pandemic.\"<\/p>\n
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How this working mum is coping without her village during the coronavirus pandemic - ABC News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Six months after her son Benedict was born, Skye was looking forward to getting back to work. Needless to say, the pandemic has thrown the project manager's best-laid plans into a spin but true to form, Skye and husband Jonathan have found a unique way to manage life Continue reading