Bringing up baby: for the busy entrepreneur, managing the work-life balance with a newborn brings new lessons. (Career Intelligence).

When my new baby, Nathan, was about 10 weeks old, I let the rest of the new moms in My Mommy and Me group in on a little secret: I was already back to work.

I tried to deflect the comments by quickly explaining I was working only 15 hours a week. That my sister came over three times a week so I could work as a freelance writer out of my home office. That my husband was also working the first three months from home. That it wasn't easy and I would have much preferred not to work so soon after the baby was born.

Unlike the rest of these women -- nearly all of them professionals working in advertising, finance and social work -- as a self-employed person, I missed out on any government-backed maternity leave. Paula Jubinville, CMA and president of Aqueous Ltd., a small business consulting company, calls it being "employment-insurance ineligible."

"You do not even have the barest of financial support that every other woman in the country does," she once told me as we discussed the issue for another article I was writing about work-life balance.

She was right on the mark. Many female entrepreneurs -- if they want to start a family -- are usually back to work well before other women. I've even spoken to women who saddled up to their computers to keep up with business affairs mere days after giving birth. (Even I have to admit to checking e-mail within hours after my son was born -- but to be fair, I was also sending e-mails while in labour, so there you go.)

Of course, the vast majority of these women work so soon after delivering their babies for one simple reason: they need the cash. Trying to make that money, though, can lead to some interesting life lessons, and these are important to keep in mind.

Lesson number one: Don't expect to be as productive as you were before.

Working from home doesn't necessarily mean that the work-life balancing act gets easier.

There are days when I'm working at my desk and Nathan is playing with his fingers on his little mat beside me that I think, "I'm so glad I don't have to work in an office." But there are also days when he hardly sleeps and the phone is ringing and my e-mail is beeping and the baby is cranky, he's starting to run a fever and our air conditioner conks out. On those days I long for a winning lottery ticket -- or at least a desk clear across town.

Lesson number two: After a baby, you have less money. Period.

Not only do I work fewer hours now that I have to juggle home life and work life while hoisting the baby around with me m a carrier, child care can really put a dent in a bank account. I've learned it's not uncommon to spend $22,000-$24,000 a year on a nanny. New mothers (and fathers) hyperventilate when they hear these figures. Experienced working mothers and fathers give the impression they've come to terms with this cash crunch and yes, everyone has to.

Lesson number three: As the work Life balance changes, stress rises.

Men, especially younger professional men, are starting to change the way they view their family and career obligations.

My husband was able to negotiate three months working from home as a computer programmer. I've also spoken to other men in their 20s and 30s who took three months off for paternity leave so their wives could go back to work. And these men are not alone.

According to the 1999 PricewaterhouseCoopers International Student Survey, 57% of respondents stated that balancing work and personal life was their primary career goal -- up from 45% only two years before. But with this desire to have all ducks lined up in a row, these young guys are also experiencing the same kind of stress their wives and partners enjoy. One 2001 Canadian survey said 55% of men experience high role overload -- they feel they need to be all things to all people. In 1991 only 46% felt this way.

While there is definitely stress involved in starting a family and trying to retain some semblance of a former working life, as long as you go in with your eyes open aware of these simple issues, it's not an impossible task. Being aware that you're not alone in this juggling act is an important first step, and taking time to think through your priorities can only help.

After all, there are obviously some gigantic positives that come along with that stress -- watching your child grow up right before your eyes.

Kira Vermond ([e-mail]) is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Her articles can also be found in the Managing and Working Life sections of the Globe and Mail.