Many of our colleagues say MWDN is like a family to them. However, for our today’s guest, our company did really officially become a true family. Read on to find out how Mariia Latenko combines a mom role and a full-time software testing engineer position, what her thoughts on maternity leaves are, and what superpower she lacks. Brief bullet points
- Name: Mariia Latenko
- Age: 37 y.o.
- Years in MWDN: Four full years in the software testing engineer position
- Kids: 11-month-old son.
How MWDN became my family
The first person who contacted me from MWDN became my husband and a father to our kid in a couple of years. He was a Recruiter back then and interviewed me for the position I was applying to. At first, we had strictly professional business relations. In a couple of months, we became friends. After about half a year, our friendship transformed into a romantic relationship.I think this transformation became possible only because after the hiring, we didn’t interact in any way in the professional field. Overall, I believe that combining professional activities with romantic relationships is very difficult and not desirable.
I was on maternity leave for two months
I worked almost until the day I delivered a baby because I had the desire and health to continue working. And when the baby arrived, my mother had the time and willingness to babysit the little one. So, that’s how it all turned out. For me, the perspective of being on maternity leave for a long time was always scary, so I planned in advance to come back to work as soon as possible. Today I can say that this was the right decision. Also, I work from home, so I can always see my son and continue breastfeeding him. I lose very little by combining a full-time job with being a full-time mom.
Motherhood was not as I expected it to be
While pregnant, I prepared myself mentally for the difficulties of motherhood. But I had no idea how difficult it would be! My first months as a mom were full of despair. Fortunately, over time, the love and happiness of parenthood began to outweigh the difficulties. Being able to work and switch from mom’s tasks to something else also helped me a lot to be happier. Right now, the only thing that I truly miss is the ability to sleep through the night without waking up. I also lack the ability to travel without restrictions a bit. But I’m sure all these limitations are temporary, so I’m enjoying the great experience I have now.My biggest discovery about kids
The biggest discovery for me was that newborns do not know how to fall asleep on their own, even when they are really tired.
