Working Mom Left in Tears Over What She Sees on Baby Monitor

Newsweek

2 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A working mom from Texas was left in tears after watching her daughter sit up for the first time through the baby monitor.
Sales development representative Brooke Lipps (@adayinaeats) posted the heartbreaking moment in a clip on TikTok—something that felt unnatural as a new mom.
"[It] felt like someone took my heart and pulled it from my chest," the 25-year-old told Newsweek. "I watch her fall asleep every day and wake up through the monitor to make it feel like we're together. At the same time, I was so proud of her and dumbfounded how she can sit up on her own."
From left: Brooke Lipps sits at work in tears over what she has seen on her baby monitor.
From left: Brooke Lipps sits at work in tears over what she has seen on her baby monitor.
@adayinaeats
Lipps had returned to work when her daughter, Taylor, was just 4.5 months old—a financial necessity leaving little choice for her or her husband, who works full-time and attends graduate school.
On the day that Lipps was sat at her desk, Taylor, now almost 9 months old, was with her nanny, who texted updates as the infant sat up on her own for the very first time.
"Being a younger mother herself, I know she relates to me," Lipps said. "When I tell her how hard it is, and how at times I've felt jealous of the time she spends with my daughter, she says she can imagine how difficult it is for me to be away."
In the United States, there is no federal guarantee of paid maternity leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave—but only for employees who meet a certain tenure and employer-size requirements, which many new parents don't.
In Austin, Texas, there are no statewide mandates for paid family leave, leaving the decision up to individual employers.
Lipps also shared journal excerpts with Newsweek and said she began writing it to show Taylor how much she means to her.
An entry from July 15 read: "Taylor baby, life is so hard right now. I am at work now, and I watched you wake up on the monitor. You stretch back in a child's pose, booty in the air, head turned to the side—you rolled over and stared at your little hands, clapping. It just killed me that I couldn't walk to your crib and pick you up, feed you, hold you."
Before becoming a mother, Lipps said she imagined herself being solely career-focused—chasing top marks and accolades. "My baby came, and my whole world changed; I changed," she added.
"Now being away from her fills me with so much sadness, remorse, and guilt," Lipps continued. "I wonder daily if I'm making the right choice and if it's worth it; or if I should stay home, knowing that it will set back my future career and put our family under greater financial strain."
Now, Lipps says she grapples daily with the emotional toll of balancing work and motherhood.
Although she is greeted by her baby's smile and laugh, Lipps can't actually soak up these small moments.
"Seeing her and my husband makes my heart full, but I can't just sit there and enjoy her," she said.
Instead, Lipps has to make dinner, put dishes away, clean the house, do laundry, wash her pump, prepare bottles, prepare her lunch, change Taylor's diaper—and the list goes on.
"I feel spread ultrathin. There's not enough of me to go around," Lipps said. "I'm doing a lot of things but not doing them all well—or at least a judgmental voice in my head tells me that."
Lipps, who did not receive paid maternity leave, is vocal about the need for stronger parental support.
She and her husband navigated the postpartum period on one income, without qualifying for FMLA or other safety nets.
"I wish it were standard to get paid leave, not just FMLA's guaranteed 12 weeks off," Lipps said. "Most people can't afford to take three months off without pay, especially as such young parents."
Though her current employer has been supportive, she said she still feels the emotional whiplash of being both a new mother and early-career professional.
"At the end of my days, I don't think I'll have wished to make my name great through my career, but I do aspire to make a great impact on the world," Lipps said.
"I wish workplaces embraced mothers and pregnant women instead of feeling like we're a burden or don't belong," she continued. "Babies need their mothers."