A New York City teacher finished maternity leave as the city went on lockdown. Here's how the mom is juggling the needs of her newborn, her remote students, and her own mental health in a time of crisis.

Kathleen Daniel with her two daughters in their Hawthorne, New York, home.Kathleen Daniel

• Kathleen Daniel was scheduled to return to work from maternity leave the day her employer, the New York City Department of Education, shut down all schools in the city.
• Daniel lives in Hawthorne, New York, and has two daughters with her husband, Will.
• She's navigating caring for her newborn while also teaching remotely.
• Her biggest advice to other moms in a similar situation is to talk with your employer about creating a flexible schedule as well as trying to get you, and your baby, on a schedule ahead of time.
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Kathleen Daniel was supposed to return to work from maternity leave on March 16. That same day, her employer, the nation's largest public school system in the US, closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But she still had to work, albeit from her house in Hawthorne, New York.

Daniel is a dual language coordinator for New York City's Department of Education, where she helps bilingual students with their reading skills and aids teachers in developing the curriculum. She and her husband, Will, who works as a data analyst, have two daughters, who also require their full-time attention while self-isolating at home.

On her first day back from maternity leave after having her daughter, Daniel went to her school for a three-day crash course on teaching remotely. Since that day, she's been navigating uncharted territory: returning to work from maternity leave in the middle of a global pandemic.

"Of course it was stressful and exhausting," she told Business Insider. Not knowing what was going to happen and having to adapt to a new situation so quickly was tiring, she said.

Many moms who are essential workers don't have the luxury of being able to stay home with their children, having to rely on family members or friends to help care for their children, as the majority of child care centers have shut down since the pandemic's spread to the US. Still, there are many others, like Daniel, who find themselves juggling both work and child care at the same time.

For Daniel, there was an upside to being able to work from home.

"Emotionally, it was easier for me, because I had to tell myself it was only three days away from the baby," she said.

Having a newborn while also working remotely is a struggle for the new mom, who has to divide her time between caring for her daughters and working with teachers and students. Because of social distancing, hiring a babysitter to help take care of 4-month-old Juliette, or her other daughter, 3-year-old Amelia, is not an option.

However, she's found a few key strategies to manage returning to work while also being home with the baby.