This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lana Ng, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mother based in Houston. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I used to work as a marketing coordinator at a local hospital in Houston. I worked in a hybrid role, spending three days working from home and two days in the office, earning about $70,000 a year, and I enjoyed it. That’s until I got pregnant with my son.
I was so happy; my husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for months. I didn’t really think about what would happen once he was born, as I just thought I’d go back to work.
But the day before my maternity leave ended, my boss called me and said he was taking away my flexibility to…