Anyone who’s had to juggle a career and a newborn baby knows that it’s hard work. And bosses can make or break you during this time.

When Melody Jett Blackwell became pregnant with her first child, she felt a mixture of emotions.

Of course, she was happy to be bringing a baby into the world. But as an American, she had no guaranteed paid maternity leave.

At first, Blackwell was anxious to tell her boss, Dr. Elizabeth Baker, about her pregnancy.

Blackwell was part of a small team. Could she take much time off without her job being placed in jeopardy?

When Blackwell finally told Dr. Baker about her pregnancy, it turned out that she had nothing to worry about. Dr. Baker was more than accommodating towards Blackwell.

Even though there was no law requiring it, Dr. Baker let Blackwell take three months off for maternity leave.

And after those three months, Dr. Baker did all that she could to ease Blackwell back into the world of work. For four days of the week, Dr. Baker let Blackwell work from home. And on the fifth day, Blackwell was allowed to bring her baby, Nora Jo, into the office.

So for four days a week, Blackwell could take a break at any time that she wanted to look after her child. As long as she completeed her tasks by the end of the day, Dr. Baker was happy. And on that fifth day, the baby got to rest on her mother’s lap.

To some, the sight of Blackwell holding a baby while scheduling appointments and managing the office may look bizarre. But Dr. Baker has fully embraced it. She’s even encouraging other workplaces to do the same.

One day, Dr. Baker took a picture of Blackwell and her daughter at work and shared it to the company’s Facebook page (with Blackwell’s permission, of course.)

“She makes it look easy. It helps that Baby Nora-Jo is so sweet and content just being with and near her mama.” – Maryland Farms Chiropractic.

The post also explicitly asked other businesses, small and large, to accommodate their employees with children like this.

Pretty soon, the post started attracting a lot of attention. It has, to date, gained thousands of reactions and shares and hundreds of comments. People have been saying things like this:

If there’s one thing that basically everyone should be able to agree on, it’s that American mothers deserve more opportunities when it comes to newborns and work.

In fact, the USA is one of only three countries in the entire world that doesn’t make it the law for companies to offer paid maternity leave to employees. This is pretty crazy when you think about it, as in the modern world, for any family to thrive, mothers and fathers need to be able to balance work with childraising.

This is an issue that affects the future of the entire country. In America, the birth rate has been falling for many years now.

In fact, in 2018, the US birth rate fell to a 32 year low (and that’s the most recently available report at the time of writing.)

The reason for the decline in births is clear: work insecurity.

Employers in America need to be more like Dr. Baker and let their employees balance family and work life in a way that works for them. The future of society literally depends on it!

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Source: Maryland Farms Chiropractic, Love What Matters, The Guardian, NPR