A letter of gratitude from a Taulia mom

In 2022, when my husband and I began conversations of expanding our family, we delved into numerous considerations. Were we prepared for the lifelong commitment of parenthood? Were we setting a child up for success? And what impact would this have on our lives? While we confidently answered “yes” to the first two questions, the third posed a challenge, particularly for me. While personal factors weighed heavily on my mind, the professional aspect became a recurring debate in my head. Having dedicated a decade to Taulia, I had not only witnessed the organization’s growth but my own growth as well, both of which I was extremely proud of. I had just worked on the most exciting (and extremely difficult) project thus far—an acquisition—and we had become a part of the SAP family. SAP’s global prominence opened doors to infinite possibilities. Was I ready to step away from it all for a while? Ultimately I knew that being a mom was important to me and after many discussions, we decided this was the right time for us. Despite my decision, I was determined to maintain the same level of dedication throughout my pregnancy, try to keep up with work during maternity leave, and come back like nothing had changed right after. I had a plan and was determined to make it happen.

We found out we were pregnant around Thanksgiving and while I was extremely happy, my brain automatically went into planning mode – I had work travel coming up, we had so many ambitious team goals for next year, and I was nervous how I would manage it all while ensuring I was taking care of this little human growing inside of me. The first trimester was rough – I had extreme morning sickness, or rather “all-day sickness” and a diet limited to plain cheese quesadillas dominated my days. On top of it all, I wasn’t able to share this struggle with anyone other than my husband and our bernedoodle. Although my memory during this time was limited, one story that sticks out is when I was to present at a board meeting early in the morning when my morning sickness was at its worst. I woke up extra early that morning hoping to get my morning sickness out of the way, got ready, and put a trashcan next to me just in case. Instead of practicing my talk track, I practiced what I would say if I suddenly had to go off-camera. Luckily it all went smoothly and no trashcan was required, but I remember thinking that if this was the first trimester, how would I make it through the rest of the pregnancy and when the baby was actually here?

After chugging along through the first trimester and once I was safely into the 2nd trimester I knew the time had come to share my news with work. I was a nervous wreck. With a plethora of projects and initiatives lined up for the year, especially under SAP’s umbrella, I decided to disclose my pregnancy to my manager and HR counterpart during our initial yearly planning meeting. Armed with a detailed outline of how we were going to accomplish our goals for the year even with me being out I nervously broached the subject. As I said the words “I am pregnant” in the meeting I found my eyes tearing up, partly due to nervousness and partly because I felt like I was letting the team down during a crucial period. However, their response was not what I anticipated. Instead of probing about project timelines, they showered me with expressions of joy and excitement. In that moment, work took a backseat as we celebrated this new chapter in my life.

After speaking to all the moms I knew, I came to the conclusion that 6 months was the right amount of time for me to take off to recover, acclimate to parenthood, and bond with my baby. However, the thought of being away for such an extended period seemed daunting. I didn’t want to come back too soon and struggle so I decided taking more time off and coming back stronger was a better option. Later that week I met with my manager for our weekly 1:1 and was going to tell him my plan of taking 6 months of maternity leave, coming back part-time for the first month, and then being back to a full-time capacity after that. When I started telling him my leave plan, I think he could sense my hesitation and interrupted me and said “Whatever you need, we will make it work. I want to support you.” And support he and all of Taulia did.

While all pregnancies are different, mine was filled with fatigue, and what felt like an endless amount of doctors appointments. I remember often thinking about what I would do if Taulia didn’t have a flexible work environment – many of these appointments and tests were hard to come by and the offices weren’t open on the weekends which meant I had to schedule them whenever they could fit me in which would sometimes clash with work. My coworkers would never hesitate to reschedule a meeting or repeat something my tired brain couldn’t comprehend the first time around. Not only this, but they organized our annual offsite in San Francisco so I could be comfortable in my own home at night, threw me multiple baby showers, and ultimately helped take on everything while I was out in addition to their jobs. “We are a team”, is a phrase I would hear often.

As I was getting closer to my leave, we brought on a senior HR leader to our team who would be my new manager. As soon as she started, it was like opening the floodgates. While she was still onboarding she was tasked with what seemed to be a new project every day and no time to spare in between her meetings. Despite this, every one of our meetings started with her asking me questions about how I was feeling, questions regarding exciting things like prepping our nursery, and sharing some of her own experiences. She knew I would be going on leave in a matter of weeks and instead of trying to get things moving along as fast as possible she constantly reminded me to enjoy this time in my life and how special it really was.

As I wrapped up projects and sent out my detailed spreadsheet with exactly who was doing while I was going to be out, I let my coworkers know that I was going to be around should they need me. After all, I was going to be at home with a baby that slept most of the time so I would have ample time to answer any questions. Every single person told me they would not contact me and that I should take the time for myself and my new baby. The first 4 months after giving birth were so much harder than what I was anticipating. The sleepless nights seemed like they would go on forever and my body and mind could barely keep up with what day of the week it was so answering questions and getting work done was out of the question. Some of my favorite memories during that time though were thanks to my amazing coworkers – sending my son the most thoughtful welcome gifts when he was born, celebrating my 10 year anniversary with Taulia, and getting check-ins from so many – none of which were work-related. I didn’t know how much I needed to disconnect at that time, but I’m so appreciative that not only did my colleagues allow me that time, but went above and beyond to ensure I felt their well wishes.

Going back to work after nearly 6 months was bittersweet. While I was looking forward to getting into a routine again and working on exciting projects, my son was now 6 months old and so much fun! I didn’t want to miss out on anything. Being able to start back up at a part-time capacity for the 1st month and from home, since Taulia has a work-from-home environment helped make the transition so much easier. It allowed my son and I to ease into our new routine. In between meetings, I would go downstairs to where he was being taken care of by my amazing mom and sneak in a cuddle and we would eat our lunches together. It made a transition I was nervous for much more bearable.

I’ve been back full-time at Taulia for nearly 8 months with a now 1 year old and feel right back into the swing of things. As I navigate the demands of work and motherhood, I am grateful for Taulia’s unwavering support. From accommodating schedule adjustments to celebrating milestones, my colleagues have been instrumental in making this journey more manageable and meaningful. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and Taulia has been an integral part of my village. I am immensely grateful for the organization’s supportive culture and caring leadership, not to mention fantastic benefits that have made my journey into motherhood a truly special experience. Thank you, Taulia, for your support—from me and Veer.