š Especially in the earliest days, parenthood is a rollercoaster. Thereās learning, bonding, worrying, feeding, changing ā all while trying to grab a few precious hours of sleep.
During those early weeks with my newborn son, I had a moment of clarity: The health of a parent, especially a mother, is deeply connected to the support systems around her. I was fortunate to have 12 weeks of paid leave through my employer. But not everyone is so lucky ā 1 in 4 women in the U.S. return to work within just 2 weeks of giving birth, often because they canāt afford to stay home longer.