If someone asked you right now whether you are burned out, what would you say? Most high-functioning women would pause, run a quick internal audit, and then say something like: "I am tired, but I am managing." And then they would move on to the next thing on the list. That pause is worth paying attention to. So is the fact that you are reading this.

You planned the childcare. You negotiated the schedule. You bought the pump bag and the work-appropriate nursing bras and you read the articles about pumping at the office. You were prepared, and then you walked back into your office, or opened your laptop at your kitchen table for the first Zoom of the day, and felt like a stranger.

You're doing great. Your OB said it at your six-week checkup. Your mom says it every time she calls. Your partner says it when you ask if you're okay. Even your own brain says it, usually right before you cry in the car for no reason you can explain.