Scotmum is proud to support working mums and is keen to bring you a different, inspirational mum on a regular basis so that you can see how they manage to attain that elusive work/life balance. This week, Scotmum interviews Libby Hunter, 33, from Newton Mearns, Glasgow. Libby is mum to James,15 months.
What is your profession and how many hours per week do you work?
I work as a Practice Nurse in a large GP practice in Glasgow. I currently work 25hrs a week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, which suits me perfectly as my sister and other mummy friends have the same days off which allows for essential catch up time!
Could you describe a typical day in your life?
Typical work days involve being woken at some silly time anywhere between 5.30 and 6.30 ( who needs alarm clocks when your a mummy!!) A cup of green tea and a bit of GMTV to wake us up! (or BBC news if hubby gets his hand on the remote!) breakfast then out the house for 8. My husband, David takes James to nursery as I am heading the opposite direction. My work day involves seeing patients from 08.30 until 5, with well earned coffee and lunch breaks to re-energize!! I deal with a variety of things, from asthma to travel clinics. We all get home about 5.45 and it's the usual dinner, bath, bed routine!!
Days off usually involve meeting other mummy friends for coffee and a chat. Although we are finding these days it's better to head to soft play and let the kids burn some energy!!
My weekends are pretty hectic as we are currently building our own house. Not like you see on Grand Designs where people say they are self-building and they have a team of builder and project managers!! ;-) David is actually doing the majority of the work himself!! (including a full time job!) A year later and things are finally looking like they are coming to an end, it's been a really hard year having a baby and my husband spending every spare second at the building site, but thanks to fantastic family support and great friends we are getting through it!! James is now starting to notice that daddy isn't there all the time so we are desperate to get it finished.
What do you feel are the pros and cons of being a working mother?
The pros - I love my job and I get a lot of satisfaction out of my days at work, also getting a hot cup of coffee without a 15 month old tugging on your leg! Seriously though, practice nursing is something I always wanted to do and I worked hard to get there and I wouldn't want to give it up entirely. The cons- I feel guilty that James is out the house from 8 and not home until tea time, but when I get that big grin and cuddle at the end of the day I feel better!
What are your childcare arrangements?
James goes to a private nursery three days a week and he really loves it. My parents don't live in Glasgow and my in-laws live in Northern Ireland ( we would never expect them do to child care anyway) but if there is an emergency my parents are great at coming through to help.
What would be your top tip for working mums in order to cope with the demands of their day to day lives?
My top tips would be that if you are working then try and get a set routine for those days. I was all over the place when I started back at work but now it's so much easier. An essential item for family life is a calendar. I know that since having James my memory is even worse than it was before! Our calendar is full to the brim but keeps me on top of things ( I am sure my husband will disagree!!! )
