I knew being a single mother was going to be a challenge. The kindness of others, including my boss, made it manageable.

Jamilah Lemieux.

Courtesy of Aria Askari via Jamilah Lemieux.

I announced my daughter Naima's birth with a picture that I snapped just moments after she was handed to me in the delivery room. I didn't notice it immediately, but it looked like she was holding up her middle finger (one of my friends asked if I had done this on purpose, which made me question what kind of person she thought I was). Now that I know my kid, this photo was completely on brand.Right after I had Naima, I hit the ground running. I had to prove to the world that I could still do things besides mothering, even while mothering alone.Professionally, I was flourishing. My popularity as a Twitter personality was growing, and I was booking news appearances and speaking engagements on a regular basis. I felt confident about the life I was building for my child and me.Naima was born on a Friday night, and on Monday afternoon, I did a virtual appearance on a daily talk show. The host, who was a friend, was shocked that I showed up — literally nursing my baby the whole time. I didn't want to miss out on any opportunities. I had called in to an editorial meeting from the hospital. I was not playing.I only took six weeks of leaveWhen she was born, I could afford only six weeks of maternity leave, hardly enough time for a woman and her baby to bond. When it was time to return to work, I still had no childcare.Amazingly enough, my boss told me I could discreetly bring Naima to the office while I searched for options. In other words, I couldn't set up a whole nursery, but a little bouncer was fine. I never would have dreamed of asking for that kind of accommodation unless I had no other options, and I had zero.Childcare was way harder to find — and afford — than I'd imagined. So, for my first three months back in the office at Ebony, Naima traveled with me on the train in her BabyBjörn and relaxed in her bouncer while I worked. My co-workers were incredibly kind, often coming by to hold her, and they never complained on the rare occasions that she got noisy.