From Pediatric OT to OT SAHM…

April is Occupational Therapy month, and although it’s the end of the month, I wanted to take a little bit of time to honor this profession that means so much to me, that has challenged me, that has changed me, and that has given me a deeper understanding of myself and the world.

When I went into OT school almost eight years ago, I didn’t see myself where I am now at all - I hadn’t even started dating my husband yet, had no idea what to expect living in St. Louis while in school, and definitely didn’t anticipate being in a ‘career pause’ and staying home with my daughter in 2024. But life is funny that way, it humbles you and helps you realize that your own plans hold little weight compared to the greater plan for your life. Although I sometimes miss practicing as an OT in “the system” and helping other kids and families, I also really like having my own flexible business that can adapt to my changing lifestyle, but nothing compares to staying home with my daughter - and being her personal OT ;) I like to think that being a pediatric OT and studying development for all those years has set me up to be a better mom than I otherwise would have been without all of that knowledge. It has allowed me to have more patience and understanding for the difficult seasons of development, it has allowed me to approach things like breastfeeding and starting solids with confidence, it has given me a toolbox of strategies to enhance my daughter’s development and help her meet different milestones, it has equipped me to break generational cycles and co-regulate with her, and it has given me the privilege to truly understand how remarkable it is to watch a baby develop from scratch right in front of my eyes.

While I have enjoyed my journey as an OT - through school, during fieldwork placements, and in various jobs after graduation - nothing compares to being a mom. However, this blog post wouldn’t be complete without discussing the difficult emotions that come with putting a career on pause to focus on motherhood, especially a career as an OT. I talked about this on The Mirracle Money podcast with my friend Amirra last year - give it a listen :) Unfortunately, being an OT can end up feeling like it’s your entire identity, so it can feel like a bit of an identity crisis when you step back from that role for any amount of time… Who am I other than an OT? [You are an incredible wife, daughter, friend, sibling, and mother] Did I waste all that money on my education? [No, you did not!] Am I doing my potential clients a disservice by not working? [No, you are not. They are being helped by another incredible OT] Will I ever go back to a traditional OT role? [Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. Either way, you’re right where you need to be right now] And other various questions may pop into your head if you’re considering shifting from being an OT to a stay-at-home-mom. Let me tell you this, though, occupational therapy will always be there, but your kids won’t always be little.

Read that again… you can always return to the workforce, you can always jump back into being an OT or even change areas of OT you [work in (trust me, there will always be a need for OTs), but you never get this time with your kids back, they never need you as much as they do now, and you will NEVER regret spending the time with them. Even if you are in a position where you feel as though you need to work to bring in an income and you don’t feel like you’re able to stay home with your babies, please take comfort in knowing that your OT lens will help you approach motherhood from a more wholistic, patient, and knowledgeable background, and your kids are still lucky to have you as their mama :) xoxo

So, happy occupational therapy month to my fellow OT mamas! To the moms on a career pause: I see you, I am you, and I understand the hard. You’re doing incredible things for your family, and you will always be a nurturing OT who can go back to work at any time. Have the awareness to know what’s best for you and your family, and please always know that I am here for you if you need a listening ear as you navigate your career :)