How travelling on parental leave pushed me outside my comfort zone

Having a baby has challenged me in endless ways over the past year. What stands out to me even more than those tough newborn months is actually road tripping via RV as a family in Morocco and flying to Canada solo with my infant son.

In a few days, I will go back to paid work after about a year off from the traditional workforce. Having given birth to my first child in June 2023, the past twelve months have been the most adventurous and also the most joyful I’ve ever experienced.

On the one hand, I’m sad I’ll no longer have all the time in the world to spend with my baby. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to exploring identities beyond my role as a mom again, such as developing myself professionally. Even as I type out this article right now, I realize how much I’ve missed writing.

Don’t get me wrong. Having and caring for an infant is not at all a walk in the park. If there’s anything this year has taught me, it’s this: mothering is hard work. Prior to becoming a mom, I didn’t truly appreciate how important and valuable this job is. 

My son’s newborn months were incredibly tough. At the time, I was recovering from a C-section operation, starting to breastfeed and attempting to get to know the wee human that had just popped out of me – all while significantly lacking sleep.

Morocco 🚌

Things did get a bit easier after that. When our son was five months old, my husband joined me on parental leave and the three of us hit the road in our RV for a few months. Hoping to escape the cold winter in Germany, we made a beeline for southern Spain, where fellow travellers told us we wouldn’t regret it if we kept heading further south into Morocco.

We were honestly hesitant at first, as we’d never been to Africa before and had no clue what it’d be like travelling in Morocco with a baby. But after doing some research and talking to friends who had been to Morocco, we took the plunge, bought our ferry tickets and found ourselves crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.

In my eyes, our adventure really took off once we arrived on African soil. Whereas travelling in Europe is comfortable and familiar for my husband and I, road tripping in Morocco was a different ball game. I was stretched in ways I’m only starting to grasp now; I feel I’ve grown so much from the experience.

The absolute highlight of our Morocco trip was the trek we made to the Erg Chigaga sand dunes in the Saharan desert. But taking one’s baby on a 2.5-hour ride via off-road vehicle to reach remote dunes and sleep in a tent overnight in 0C temperatures is not for the faint of heart. Turns out I had nothing to be worried about, as bebe managed just fine. 

Being in Morocco was also my first time in a male dominated society, and at times this was uncomfortable or frustrating. Overall, though, I felt safe travelling in the country, and the people we encountered were all very friendly. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how often strangers openly held, hugged and kissed our baby without asking us if they could do so.

Toronto 🛫

A few months after our Morocco trip, I was ready for the next challenge. Our son was 10 months old, and I thought it’d be a good idea for him to meet his fellow Canadian family members and friends across the pond. And so, even though I was anxious about flying with my infant solo (my husband was unable to join us on the trip), I booked our flights anyway.

Gulp. What had I gotten myself into? Did I actually think I’d survive two 8-hour flights with an infant on my lap? I read a few blogs on how to best prepare for such an undertaking. I also posted on social media asking for tips from parents who’d flown with their babies before, and plenty of mamas came to my rescue sharing what worked for them.

On the first flight from Munich to Toronto, my son slept in my arms for two hours, meaning I had to keep him entertained for six. I managed to stay sane by refraining from looking at the flight map and counting down the minutes till we landed. I also walked around the plane with him loads, let him crawl in the aisles, and asked the flight attendants for support whenever I needed it. 

Luckily, there were other families with babies on the plane, and I killed some time by chatting with them. Some passengers even took him into their lap and played with him, much to my appreciation. And when the seatbelt sign was on, I fed him lots of snacks and relied on the small bag of toys I had brought.

Physically and mentally, it was the most intense eight hours of my life. But I survived it single-handedly, and for that I’m admittedly quite proud. I put this flight right up there among major life accomplishments (both career-oriented and personal) to date!

One year ago, I had no clue what my parental leave would look like, or how it would change me. I figured motherhood would stretch me and I’d learn new things and grow (I can confirm this has indeed been true), but I didn’t know that travelling with my baby would also offer opportunities for me to step outside my comfort zone.

Now, after a year of constant challenges, I’ve never been more ready for the next one. As my parental leave slowly winds down, I’m looking forward to exercising my mind intellectually again. On that note, some news! I'm starting in a new role at Siemens Healthineers and excited to be able to share more details very soon.