👀 A parent-friendly business note from Amy...

When life gives you a bright yellow convertible sports car parked outside of your flat after your witching hour walk with a newborn...you strike a pose.

Welcome to the life of Amy circa August 2016 in West Hampstead, London, trying to increase my steps post emergency c-section prior to joining the Google for Startups 10-week program with our first baby.

Nana had flown over from Canada to help us out as my husband had to go back to work in the 'City' two weeks after the birth because it didn't go 'as planned'.

And let's be real: I was a freelancer and paternity pay for two weeks at the time was around 180 GBP/week, we couldn't buy nappies and food on that 'generous paid leave'.

As in, I never had it in my mind that a c-section would be part of the process but 19 hours of labour in and this kid wasn't ready to arrive in the world.

My midwives were certain it was time (I was 40 weeks + 10 days) and despite both of our heart rates staying steady, they were concerned.

I was also concerned...about when my next meal would be.

Within two hours, we had met our first son and decided on a name. I was wheeled into a room with three other women AND their three babies AND their three partners AND their multiple visiting family and friends, with one shared toilet/shower room.

I'm no maths expert but the ratios weren't great.

Our bed did have a nice view of the London Eye at Southbank and at night, my husband would show our son the city lights.

And so begins my early introduction to 'asking for help'. On repeat.

Sure, we had done so on our various country moves: Sleeping on floors, storing luggage, understanding local transit and even calling in a favour for some important pre Irish wedding Canadian Embassy paperwork in the six years prior.

But this was next level.

In the rush to the hospital, we had forgotten our notes.

All papers were stored in a hard copy booklet, the staff knew nothing about me and this pregnancy's progress when I arrived, except for the fact I was there earlier that day for my induction.

My husband called our friend who left her South London flat to rush to North West London to the hospital, get our keys, rush to our flat and return with the papers.

We're talking 12+ tube stops crossing two different lines and a fair bit of walking: She was and still is an Angel.

The maternity ward staff who wouldn't give me a room upon arrival because they thought I wasn't in 'active labour'.

I quietly asked my husband to find a nurse on duty to check and: 'Oops! Well done! You're already six cms in under a few hours without any meds!'

We were whisked straight away to a private room with two midwives on duty for the next nearly 24 hours until the baby arrived.

Post surgery, I couldn't move easily and the meal options were buffet only. My husband had to persuade the cafeteria staff to let me have extra mashed potatoes and tea.

I relied on him and the nurses for everything. But the NHS was short on staff then (still is), so we were timing my medication and ringing my call bell to remind them to top it up again.

Otherwise, we were on our own as I tried to practice getting out of bed 'safely', shuffle to and from the shared bathroom and figure out how to wash my hair without crying.

Then it was time for 'discharge' AKA we need your bed for another mum and baby, so we were on our way, no checks to our car seat by the nurses as they were too busy to stop their rounds!

Another seasoned Dad volunteered to tighten our straps, test the tension and we gladly accepted his offer to help us.

Then we were off in a bumpy one-mile bright orange traditional London cab, heading to our flat off West End Lane with one fresh-to-the-world extra passenger who I wasn't supposed to lift in his car seat for another six weeks.

It was the second longest drive of my life, the only one which beat it was my post-induction early stage labour ride in a very flashy leather seated Audi Uber two days prior.

We called in the emergency flight change to Nana the first week we were home.

Our local tube station had stairs and I would need to walk further or take the bus to get around the city. I wasn't supposed to lift anything heavier than our son and the stroller was much heavier.

When it came time to begin the startup program seven weeks postpartum, I had healed well and managed to get our baby on a good feeding schedule, after being looked after by the Grandparents, before they both headed back to Canada.

It was then I truly learned to never underestimate the power of asking someone to:

• hold your baby
• get you a glass of water
• open a door or pull out a chair
• lift a stroller onto a train platform
• take a photo of you striking a pose against a traffic pole while babywearing

And I experienced the magic of receiving help when it was offered from perfect strangers who became friends at the business program:

• cutting up my food while I was breastfeeding
• giving me wipes to clean the spit up (plenty in the first few months)
• refilling my coffee and grabbing extra food from the continental breakfast spread
• listening to my slide deck run through before I pitched my early stage concept to a seed investor while babywearing

You may not be navigating transit in one of the busiest cities in the world. Or pitching your ideas to anyone alongside your kids (yet).

But our need to ask for AND receive help is universal.

• When was the last time you ASKED for help?
• When was the last time you ACCEPTED an offer of help?
• What did you make it mean about you (if anything)?

If you're feeling brave, inspired or perhaps 'helpless' at asking for help, hit reply and let me know!

I believe it's an essential life skill we can all learn to be better at AND we will become the future helpers or volunteers assisting others in their moments of need.

🎼 [Cue The Lion King's 'Circle of Life' melody by Elton]🎼

'Asking for help' is a topic I touch on during all of my parent-friendly business sessions, whether it's showing up with your kids in corporate settings, public speaking, doing flexible and remote work, upskilling in marketing or creating something new and launching it into the world.

Celebrating with you: This week LinkedIn informed me I'm on my 15th year anniversary with them!

🎂🕯🎊 I wrote them a public thank you note with my birthday wish:

Please stop suppressing my posts.

Including an overview of my journey on the platform since 2010, through three continents, multiple moves, part-time/full-time/seasonal jobs, consulting and freelance contracts, many different forms of education, travel adventures, business ideas, personal life changes and transitions.

LinkedIn has become almost a living lab of sorts for me: A way to tether all of the country moves, identities, projects and connections over the years.

While experimenting with new ways of working and of course, continuing to show up as I am at any given moment, with or without our kids.

I've received a lot of value from being active on LinkedIn AND I try to give back as much or more in the areas of digital marketing, public relations, speaking, inclusion and social impact.

But people can't find it if they keep hiding it!

➡️ Read the post in full and react to it as you wish, via LinkedIn here.

It's nicely wrapped up in a virtual bow as my latest 'ask for help' to the platform, which has so far received encouraging responses from a few people in my network.

See what I did there?

As always, thank you for reading, supporting this work and becoming part of a social impact movement that's making waves in business spaces and corporate cultures.

✨🌊 Have a great week/end,

– Amy Lynch (+ Family)

Founder + Podcast Host

Mixing Babies And Business™

P.S. Keep showing up (as and when you can). It all matters.

P.P.S. I'm going on an early summer break from my carpark livestreams and webinars for the next month but will be back with additional sessions closer to the late June school break here in Canada. Stay tuned for parent-friendly business, events + funding roundups on May 31/June 1st and June 28/29th.

**Thanks for reading, I hope it helps you (share with friends if you think they'd be interested). Please reply if you have feedback or questions about the above! I aim to respond within 72 hours Tuesday–Friday**

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