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 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.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

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.

She also takes time to enjoy being around her family during this strange time, and encourages moms to prioritize their emotional health.

Don't forget to enjoy the small moments too, she said.      Kathleen Daniel

Be kind to yourself, the mom said.

"Coming off of maternity leave in any setting is a huge emotional hurdle, particularly if you're a first-time mom. Feel whatever you need to feel," she said.

One thing that helped her was getting her family on a typical workday schedule before returning to her job.

Figuring out you and your baby's routine before returning to work is key.      Kathleen Daniel

Coming up with a schedule ahead of returning to work will help you and your baby.

"Create as much of a schedule as you can because when you do go back to work full time, you're going to want to have a schedule of pumping, or are you using a bottle, how are you going to transition into that?" she said. "Those transitions don't happen overnight."

Kathleen and Will help each other when one is on a call. Mostly, however, Kathleen takes care of newborn Juliette, and Will takes care of 3-year-old Amelia.

Will takes care of their eldest daughter, Amelia.      Kathleen Daniel

Kathleen and Will have an unspoken agreement where Kathleen mainly cares for the newborn and Will mainly cares for their 3-year-old daughter. But if one person is on a call or has a meeting, the other will help if one of their children needs attention.

"If I have a call and the baby starts getting fussy, he'll take her. We're both trying to support each other as much as possible," Kathleen said.

The mom of two talked with her managers early on about juggling child care with remote work. She said her employers are incredibly supportive of her working flexible hours when needed.

Kathleen's managers are used to seeing Juliette make appearances in video calls.      Kathleen Daniel

Both Daniel and her husband, Will, who's also working remotely during quarantine, clearly communicate with their bosses when they need flexibility with their schedule to care for the baby.

"My boss is completely supportive," she said. "It makes all the difference."

While the new mom needs to be online from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., she doesn't have to teach classes in real time. That means she can pump breast milk between conference calls or video chats, and record lessons when the baby is asleep. Sometimes, she'll take herself off video (and go audio-only) during a call if she needs to breastfeed the baby. Other times, Juliette will sit in on a parent-teacher video chat.

"She's sat in many parent teacher conferences in Google Meet and my team meetings, everyone knows Juliette really well," she said.

Making sure your manager understands that you may require certain accommodations to care for your baby with your manager was helpful, she added.

And be sure to know your rights. The federal Break Time for Nursing Mothers law requires certain employers to provide breastfeeding moms time and space to pump. If you have questions about your state's laws, ask your HR representative.