Money and motherhood

We are pleased to announce that this year Huld is supporting the Mothers in Business network. On this topic, Anna Kuisma – one of our leading documentation professionals and a mother herself too – has authored a blog post reflecting on navigating the demands of a career while fulfilling the vital role of motherhood.

If you had told me ten years ago that I would be balancing a career I love with raising a toddler, I probably would have laughed. Back then, I was chasing very different dreams, and motherhood was not even on my radar. But life has a way of surprising us, and today I find myself navigating both roles. Sometimes it is clumsy, sometimes it is graceful, but it is always a learning process.

Early Career Lessons

After high school, I studied sewing and even ran my own company for a year. Looking back, I realize I did not fully understand the value of money at that time, which made it difficult to make smart financial decisions as a business owner. After closing my company, I met my now-husband and decided to study mechanical engineering. That path eventually led me into documentation, where I have now worked for six years and enjoyed the stability that comes with it.

Balancing my career and family taught me the true value of money. As a young entrepreneur, I often heard that families with small children are willing to pay extra for convenience. Back then, I could not understand it. Now, living this life myself, I completely get it. I have paid for convenience more than once, and I do not regret a single time. Sometimes, making life easier is worth every cent.

Stepping into Motherhood

Motherhood was not always part of my plan. But when I saw my partner playing with our friends’ children, something shifted. He was so natural with them, and for the first time I could imagine us starting a family. We were financially stable, and I felt ready. We discussed how we would handle the financials of having a child and found a route that felt equitable. While either one of us was on parental leave, we pooled all our money and split it equally. Also, since my partner was so good with children, it was clear to us that he would at least use all his parental leave. In the end, he talked me into giving him the part of my parental leave that I was allowed to transfer to him. This ended up being a good decision, as I was very excited to return to work after being home with the baby for six months.

The hardest part of motherhood for me came in the beginning: being home alone with a baby. It was exhausting and lonely at times. But I reminded myself that this phase would not last forever, and that mindset carried me through. Now we have an energetic toddler who loves exploring the city with us, and those early days feel far away.

Finding Balance as Working Parents

One of the challenges we face as parents is that we both work and are passionate about our careers. Thankfully, our jobs give us flexible hours, which has made all the difference. For example, when our daughter has been sick, my husband has stayed home with her, sometimes ducking into one essential meeting, while I have been able to step in, cover for an hour, and then return to my work. It is not always seamless, but it works for us.