Maternity Leave: I'll Be Back
Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 05:58PM I start my maternity leave on Monday, July 26. This means that I will be taking a 10-12 week hiatus from Loaded, The 404, and my work with The CBS Early Show. For those of you who watch those broadcasts, first of all, thank you! Second of all, they are well covered so please continue to watch!
I am grateful for a small break in the daily grind. I love my job but life is more than work...or so I am told. A friend of mine said this when I told him that I was pregnant: "I just don't know what life is about if it isn't about family." It is time for me to find that out for myself and give my new baby my undivided attention for the next few months.
I am nervous that the news business will leave me behind. Or forget about me. I know that sounds silly but I have vested myself heavily in my career. For so long it was all that I had, living all the way out here in New York City, so far away from my family in San Francisco. It is only natural to have some separation anxiety.
I can admit that I am sometimes caught up in the publish-fast-publish-first world of technology news. If I read something and see that 5 people in my feed have already Tweeted that news, I feel woefully behind. How am I going to feel when I am a day or two behind a story because I am on an infant's sleep schedule!? I really don't know. But in my experience, when you let go of something you are obsessed about, you normally find its true value in a way that you had not anticipated.
So I'm letting go of Natali, the workhorse. Not forever. Just for a few weeks. I hereby dub myself Natali, the mommy. And that is forever so I want to start it off properly. I have been blogging about the experience on my Mommy blog, aptly named Mommy Beta, which I hope you will read, subscribe to, comment on, and enjoy.
Wish me luck! I'll see you Twitter or Facebook or somewhere in between. I'll be back shortly and I promise to be able to talk about more than just baby monitors and spittle!
Reader Comments (42)
We all want to wish you good luck Natali!
I hope that you have a stress free pregnancy which leads to the birth of a Happy and Healthy Baby!
Have a great time off with your (soon to be) little one! When you come back, I expect him/her to be your co-host on Loaded :).
Dear Natali,
The very best to you and the new family. You'll be a great Mommy. Just use your instincts, you'll do fine. Much love,
Henry & Pat
Natali, enjoy your time with the baby. In retrospect, I wish I would have spent more time with my tweens, the newborn and infant is your time with your baby, once they start wallking, they do not stop to look back at mommy, best of luck! can't wait to see pics.
Congrats! Good luck and relax enjoy these next 10 weeks. Thanks for providing me with so much helpful news. It's appreciated.
~Ryan
Good luck Natali!! We will miss you but enjoy your time away it will fly past so fast. Having a baby is such a special gift embrace it and enjoy, don't blink or they will be all grown up.
All the best,
Anthony. XOXO
I was obsessed with my work in my 20s also. The baby will add tremendous purpose and balance to your life. You're lucky that you're successful professionally and you get to be a mom. You'll continue to do great things. Best.
Being forced to step back once in a while can be a good thing. It lets you see what really is important.
Best wishes to you, Ms. Del Conte.
Every happiness! You are starting an incredible journey. My 'baby' will be 26 this week. It's amazing how completely you fall in love with them. Enjoy
Good luck and the next few weeks will be the precious moments you will remember for the rest of your life, enjoy it!
Don't forget to upload some pics of the baby and look forward to your return! Good luck!
Felicidades natali
Natali:
You'll be a super mommy.
Mucha suerte. Te vamos a extrañar.
Natali we will all miss you in Loaded but is a new step in your life so good luck, I will be waiting for you back in the show! Wish you the best and keep on tweeting please
Te deseo lo mejor desde Colombia
Enjoy,good luck,good health. You will be missed.
Natali, before you know it, you'll be obsessed about your baby and that WILL be the most important thing to you. I know that it's going to be hard with as much time and effort that you put into work, but believe me, this baby will be there forever and you'll love every moment of that too. Enjoy your maternity leave, get lots of rest and enjoy watching and staring at your new baby..
Congrats and all blessings for your new born coming into this world. You will be a great Mommy and family will always have your back :) You'll be missed but not for long. Take care and stay healthy see your stuff when you come back. :)
best wishes
Craig
Best Wishes to mommy and child.
No te olvidaremos, al contrario, esperaremos tu regreso. Deseo que todo salga bien y recuerda mi promesa. Cuídate.
Best wishes, Natali! I am sure you will be an excellent mom.
We'll miss you, and you won't forget you - we'll await your return eagerly!! Wishing you an easy delivery, a quick recovery, and a wonderful time with your family!
Natali:
I hope all goes well with the delivery. I know you will make a good Mom! I know you have probably read a zillion books on babies. Sometimes as a Mom, you just do what you feel is right. I will miss your CBS bits, but look forward to hearing about the soon to be arrival.
Good luck, Natali. You'll do fantastic. Just remember that every person on this huge planet has a mother that did what you're about to do. That isn't to minimize it -- at all -- but rather to say that you'll get through it famously. Perspective, no?
Looking forward to hearing more from you soon!
Parry
From all of the diligence you've clearly taken in getting ready for this, it's pretty obvious that you're going to be a great parent -- because a lot of the job is about showing up every day and being present.
As for the tech world, I have no doubt it will welcome you back with open arms in a couple months. What will be interesting is how differently you feel about ... well, almost everything, a couple months from now. :-)
Enjoy all the precious time with your little one!