PETALING JAYA, Oct 13 — Trying to find the perfect balance between being a good employee and a good mother is taking a toll on women who have just given birth.

They admit to being stressed out, something made worse by uncaring bosses and a lack of a support system, resulting in some of them facing overwhelming difficulties at work.

Effective January 1, 2015, new mothers in civil service will be allowed to take up to a year’s worth of childcare leave on top of the 90-day maternity leave.

It remains unclear if the private sector is willing to do the same, as it fears the move could affect productivity and strain their finances.

Malay Mail spoke to three new mothers from the private sector who wish they had supportive bosses, basic facilities to serve their needs and proper maids or nannies to help them at home:

Sam Lim, 33, Business manager, Kepong

“My job requires me to travel a lot, so I was immediately thinking of who was going to take care of my baby when I got back to work after my maternity leave. People assume you are able to perform immediately after maternity leave but even after three months, I hadn’t fully recovered. Psychologically, I was ready to get back to work but I was physically exhausted. I really felt the pinch when my boss said I looked like a gung-ho mother ready to get back to work. He has no understanding of motherhood. It is not easy getting a maid these days and most of them are not fit to care for a newborn. I do hope for more leniency and proper facilities at work. It is difficult finding time to pump breast milk and when I do have the time, I am forced to do it in the store room. It is very difficult to balance both a baby and a career.”

Malwinder Kaur, 29, Communications associate, Bukit Jalil

“It was nerve wrecking leaving my first-born at home when I had to get back to work. There was so much stress. I had to live with my mother on weekdays and head home over the weekends to ensure someone was taking care of my daughter. When I got back to work, I was stressed out all the time because I had to balance between getting my work done in time and trying to pump breast milk for my daughter. I can only pump in the storeroom. As I was often stressed out, I was unable to produce much milk and that really took a toll on me. Whenever I got home, my baby would already be asleep and I could barely spend time with her. I was always thinking of rushing back home just to spend time with my daughter. I cannot imagine leaving her at a nursery with all the horror stories we hear and read these days. Maids are difficult to get and are too expensive but with a maid around, at least the housework would get done. If I were given a yearlong maternity leave, I would definitely take it up. Every mother would want to spend as much time with her baby, especially during the early days.”

Roshazana Osman, 29, Staff nurse, Dengkil

“I only had two months’ maternity leave after delivering my baby so immediately after my baby was born, I was already stressed out. I did not have enough time to prepare for a caretaker. I went back to work three months after delivering my child and placed my baby under the care of a babysitter. My job requires me to work in shifts, so I had to manage between sending my baby to the babysitter and my odd working hours. My rest hours at work are uncertain, so it was difficult for me to find time to pump breast milk. Eventually, my milk supply depleted. It would be great if employers could provide day-care centres for the staff so mothers like me do not have to be under so much stress trying to get work done and taking care of our babies’ welfare.”