#Mumswithoutbabysitters: Nupur Shares Her Story

My name is Nupur, and I currently head recruitments for one of the fastest growing product companies in India.

Here's my story on how I raised my then four-month-old son, while at the same time ramping up operations for Wingify, taking it from a 15-member team to 150-strong force.

I really love this piece of advice from Eric Schmidt which Sheryl Sandberg talks about in her book LeanIn: "If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, you don't ask what seat. You just get on."

Unfortunately, hopping on a rocketship for a new mom doesn't come easy, for she has a piece of her heart back at home when she comes to the office. She has to plan for a thousand little things every day if she decides to continue her career after having a baby. No matter how ambitious she is, or how much she wants to lean in, she'll always be bittersweet at a promising career opportunity.

Three years ago, I was offered a seat on a rocketship called Wingify. It was also the time when I had become a mother. My role was to ramp up the team for an extremely fast-growing software product, VWO, and shape what is now called the ‘People Operations’ function.

I was excited beyond words (like any other young professional) for having made it into the role, but for the first time in my career, I felt uneasy. I had my infant son on my mind. As a matter of fact, I first stumbled on the opportunity on SHEROES (it was called Fleximoms then), and Wingify offered flexi-timings, which meant you had the freedom to choose your schedule without compromising on the output. I finally decided to join Wingify. Today, exactly three years and four months later, I look back at all the memories from the most exciting time in my career. 

Choosing a progressive employer and a great manager can make all the difference. I have ramped up the company's operations from a small team to the 150-strong team that it is today. I always wanted to give back more for the trust Wingify placed in me when I most needed it.

I had every opportunity I deserved as a professional and that made all the difference. I actually saw my productivity go up; I achieved a lot more than I would have achieved had I been elsewhere. Trust me, working up the ladder at any product startup is not easy. Wingify is no different. Each day offers new challenges, but these are the challenges you love to embrace as a professional. You want to move from the comfort of your home to the hustle of a growing company for the sheer joy you experience making the future. Surviving in a startup and raising a toddler one step at a time are both very hard to do. I survived it, and that's what makes me proud both as a mom and as a professional.

Do you have a #mumswithoutbabysitters story? Share it with us in a short post. Mail it to karuna@sheroes.in ; Share your pics, videos, and stories with the hashtag #mumswithoutbabysitters and we will send a copy of Babies and Bylines to the most popular stories.