Motherhood, believed to be the most blissful of all experiences, can often be a very stressful experience for working women. But thanks to new-age start-ups, they no longer need to pick between career and childcare, which help the mothers straddle the worlds of nappies and office cubicles much faster and easier. Singapore-based Deepa Narainswamy, who took a break after her childbirth, realised mothers have to suffer insufficient opportunities because of nursing their babies. That's when Deepa, with two of her classmates from IIM Bangalore — Shreya Prakash and Rashmi Rammohan — started Flexibees. "From the mother-applications this company receives, most want to work to reclaim their professional identities," says Shreya. Gurugram's Parul Ohri (44) headed corporate communications in a multinational, which she quit in favour of motherhood. She is presently chief editor at Momspresso. "It takes years to find the right balance," she says. Hansveen Kaur quit as national marketing manager, and while she was home caring for her child, she felt she was falling back in the corporate race. "With peers moving up the ranks, it added a lot of pressure on me," she admits. Neha Bagaria (37), founder & CEO, JobsforHer, took over three years off to have two children. But when a friend asked her what she does at a party, she was disappointed, since she was always an overachiever. Margaret D'Souza gave up her practice as a lawyer and partner in a legal firm. "My daughter used to be unwell, so I tried flexi-hours, then gave it up totally," she says. Six years later, Margaret found another job, but realised much has changed. "Professionals lose a lot when they give up their career for motherhood, and there are many who will take your place," she says, adding that she is happy she can raise a family and work. In many cases, mothers are also taking up study courses to keep pace, like Bihar's Rink Devi, who worked on daily assignments and studied while on her baby-break before running a beauty centre in Jharkhand now.

Stay updated with all the Mumbai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.