What No One Tells You About Working From Home With a Baby

"We did not, however, come up with a comprehensive child care plan. This may seem like an oversight, but I didn't know what I wanted. My husband has a full-time job, and I'm a freelancer who works from home; my schedule changes often. It was hard to know how much child care I would be able to do when I didn't quite know what a day with a baby entailed. We decided we'd get started on our own, and then hire part-time help to fill in the gaps."

"We have a nanny who comes 12 hours per week, and I wake up at 4 a.m. to get most of my concentration-heavy work out of the way before my 8-month-old daughter is up. So, I wouldn't say it's easy, per se. But I'm far from the only mother who works from home while taking on a substantial amount of child care. Between 2019 and 2023, the percentage of mothers with young kids who worked from home rose by 7%."

"In 2025, nearly 22% of the U.S. workforce is remote, compared to about 6.5% in 2019. On top of that, the cost of child care is on the rise: one report found that prices rose 29% between 2020 and 2024, which outpaced overall inflation. Suffice it to say, many families jumped at the chance to reduce the cost of child care by working from home."

"I'm exhausted, but I'm grateful for the time with my daughter. And I enjoy the challenge of piecing together my schedule. The first time I took a work call while breastfeeding, I felt like a boss. In fact, anything I do while breastfeeding makes me feel like Superwoman. Pouring a coffee while I feed my baby? My husband could never."

A couple prepared basic logistics for a baby but did not build a complete child care plan. The husband works full time and the mother is a freelancer with an unpredictable schedule, so they chose to start parenting themselves and hire part-time help as needed. They now employ a nanny for 12 hours weekly while the mother wakes at 4 a.m. to do concentrated work before their eight-month-old wakes. Remote work among mothers increased since 2019 and the overall remote workforce rose by 2025. Childcare costs climbed sharply between 2020 and 2024, which pushed many families to reduce expenses by working from home. The mother feels exhausted yet grateful and empowered by multitasking while breastfeeding.

Read at Parents