I work full-time as a graphic designer helping to support my family. I get some paid family leave, but not enough.
With my first child, I had to start working from home 10 days after giving birth, because my company was too small to have to comply with FMLA. Instead of bonding with my baby, I was editing web pages while she watched me from her bouncy chair. Babies are small for such a short period of time, and I will never get those early days back.
When I returned to working onsite, I cried in the car every day. It was almost physically painful to be separated from my baby.
Since I wasn't getting much sleep, my job performance suffered and I was berated for it, my salary was converted to hourly and I got a pay cut.
