Balancing Act: 7 Ways Working Moms Make It Work

Lorber’s husband usually makes dinner, and she handles bath and story time. Lewis, too, feels fortunate to be in a true partnership. She offers this key bit of advice: “Sit down and communicate with your partner and find out what’s important to him and what’s important to you.”

The “What Moms Want” survey found 31 percent of moms exercise at least three times a week and 98 percent have a hobby. “The people that I think are the most harried are the ones that never take time for themselves,” says Lewis, who just returned from a weekend out with girlfriends.

Cabot recalls someone who once said she gets her “me time” during her commute. She encourages moms to take the time to re-energize. She suggests making time for walks alone or with friends, pampering yourself with a bath, shopping for something just for you (not groceries or items for other family members), taking a nap, and setting up dates with friends.

Evans advises pregnant women who plan to continue working to maximize maternity leave, gradually phase back, and ask for adjustments if needed. According to her survey, 69 percent of working women asked for a change and 74 percent received it. Evans also encourages fathers to take a paternity leave.

Will we still talk about this balancing act in 20 years? Evans believes we will. When she purchased Working Mother magazine in 2001, it had already been around for 22 years. She was floored to be invited to participate in a debate over whether mothers should work. “In the scope of time, this is still a very new phenomenon," she says. "It will take several generations before it becomes a natural thing."