I went back to work when Matthew was just under two months old. I put maternity leave on hold to tackle the busiest time of year for my business. September through December is a blur to me. I was working on weekends, taking care of a newborn and toddler during the week and not sleeping at night. I was exhausted. When the end of December hit I was faced with a challenging decision; go back on maternity leave for the remainder of my benefits or go back to work full time and end my claim.
I battled this decision. If I worked full time we would have more income. But, if I went on maternity leave I would have more time. The classic time versus money conundrum. I wanted more time with my family, but I was also scared that if I took time off my business would suffer. Another factor was that I liked getting out of the house to work, and photography is one of my passions, so it was very cleansing for my soul. But I did not like wishing, hoping and praying that the kids would nap at the same time so that I could get my editing done; some days I found myself resenting them because I was behind on work. My dad eventually threw down the deal breaker. He said to me, “Jess, you have two beautiful babies at home who are not going to be babies forever. Photography is something that you are always going to have.”
I have made the decision to return to maternity leave, I will be returning back to work at the end of May. I am currently booking for Summer and Fall and will have a limited amount available, so if you are interested, now’s the time! In the meantime I will be keeping my skills up with the inspiration my little ones offer up on a daily basis 
