Ayla Brown: My Last ‘Goodbye’ Before Maternity Leave!

It's weird to say "goodbye" before maternity leave. My due date is approaching so quickly, and any second my baby could pop right out! This is why I want to take this opportunity to tell you a personal story.

When I was on maternity leave with my first son in 2022, I got a call from my management at Country 102.5 saying that they were making some layoffs. One of the people that they let go was my morning show co-worker, Jonathan Wier. I was devastated. (See my Facebook post below).

When I returned from my 12-week maternity leave on Oct 26, 2023, I learned that I was hosting the morning show by myself. By myself? A flood of emotions ran through my head.

I was honored at the opportunity to be one of the new female radio hosts in Boston. I was excited to come up with segments and challenging myself. And I was thankful that I was still able to work with one of the greatest producers in the industry, Jim Clerkin (aka "Work Daddy Jim"). But on the other hand, I was nervous about being alone. I missed Jonathan and I really missed the morning banter that we had together while we were on air.

I was a solo host of "Country Mornings with Ayla Brown," for almost a full year. And let me reiterate, I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I grew so much over the year of being on air by myself! But then reality set in when I took a pregnancy test...

In August of 2023, my husband and I learned that we were expecting again! And while we were thrilled by the news, I couldn't help but think, "How the heck am I going to tell work about this? I am the solo host, so what will they do?"

I couldn't get the thought out of my head. It was like a pressure cooker of emotions because I didn't want to tell my employers that I was expecting again. I was scared. Would my job be safe? Will they replace me with someone? Will the name of the show change?, and if so, to what?

It must have been fate because in October, just two months after I found out that I was pregnant, my management called me into the office. They sat me down and told me that I was doing a great job hosting by myself, and that they were proud of me. Then they said, "We are in the process of bringing Jonathan Wier back on air with you."

I could not believe my ears. Jonathan was coming back to Country 102.5! Were the radio Gods listening to my prayers? Not only was I relieved to know that such a great host was coming back with me, but I was also relieved that I could now tell my bosses about my pregnancy. A few weeks later, after I had my first ultra sound with the doctors and confirm that there was actually baby in there, I told my management about the pregnancy.

Being a woman is the greatest superpower in the world. That's something I've learned since giving birth to my first son, Barrett. Being a mother is the greatest title anyone could ever have, and I will never take it for granted.

But let's be honest. Being a woman can also be overwhelming. Because being a working mother in a professional world is all about finding balance between work life and family life. It's about putting food on the table and money in the account to pay for that food. Even when you're exhausted you still make it your #1 priority to make the time for your family. And now adding another child seems like such a big life move, which it is!

I will miss you all so much while I go on maternity leave. Our listeners really are the backbone of our station. Without you, we can't do our jobs, and truthfully, our job would be meaningless! I will miss Jonathan and Jim while I'm out.

It's natural for me to want to say, "I won't miss waking up early!" But who am I kidding? I'll be up every two hours for a feeding!! I will be more tired on maternity leave than I would be working the morning shift on a radio station.

I will see you in 12 weeks. So long, farewell, and I will see you on the other side in August!

I am days away from giving birth to baby #2, and let me tell you, this momma has some goals and dreams while on maternity leave. But will I ever get to accomplish them? Probably not, and here's why.

On maternity (or paternity) leave, all parents hope to have all the time in the world to travel, eat, drink, explore, and most importantly, relax. But truthfully, being on leave is all about bonding with your newborn. It's about making sure that your baby is fully loved, fed, clothed, washed, and taken care of in every aspect. It's not about you anymore. Sorry to be so blunt, but I realized that quickly after I gave birth to my first-born son.

When my first child I did was born, I did as much as I could while I was off work. And let me say, I definitely accomplished some personal goals. I ate oysters at Oyster Creek in Duxbury. And I drank alcohol again and enjoyed every sip of the Cabernet Reserve wine at La Cantina Winery in Franklin. I brought my newborn to the beach up in NH and put him in his UPPAbaby bassinet while I sat next to him, soaking up any sun I could. But did I really accomplish anything for me while I was on maternity leave?

The short answer is, no. I did not really accomplish anything that I wanted to do on maternity leave. I never had that spa day all to myself. (This is a hint to my husband if he's reading this right now!) I never took a road trip to a place I have never been before. And lastly, as a musician, I still haven't even sat down and written a song since my first child was born.

I've learned that being a parent is beautiful and in many ways self-reflecting. You have to leave your ego at the door and realize that life isn't about what you want any more. My children come first now in every thing I do. For example, if they are hungry, I must drop everything I am doing and make sure that they are fed. If they are tired, I may have to leave the fun brewery that we are at to make sure that my kids go home and take a nap.

So this time around, I'm still making goals for myself because I think it's important for mothers and fathers to not completely change who they are. But the question is, will I get to do ANY of these things? I'll have to report back after my 12-week maternity leave is done.

South Boundary is also known as the “Avenue of Oaks” because of the beautiful live oaks that line the street making almost a canopy above the street. This is located in South Carolina. Maybe I will take a road trip here.

I have goals of going on a road trip with our family to somewhere we've never been before. Preferably out of the New England area. The problem with traveling with two children and a dog is that we are at the point where we have to stay at an Airbnb. But traveling to an Airbnb is much more expensive than a hotel in the summer time. So will we even leave New England? Probably not.

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When you're pregnant you have to give up raw good like sushi. I would love to have an entire day where I just catch up on eating sushi! I've been eating veggie ones while pregnant, but it's not the same as a delicious salmon or tuna roll.

I don't mean take a tour of a brewery. I actually mean go to multiple breweries in one day. Before kids I would have had a blast doing this with my friend or family. But with kids, we will be lucky to hit up one, or even two breweries in the day.

Is this even possible when you have two kids under the age of 2? I don't even know. And what would I DO with an entire day by myself? Would I take advantage of it and do something wild? Or would I stay in my bed and rest all day? Even the thought of having a moment to myself brings my anxiety because I can't remember a time where it was just me, alone with my thoughts and time.

Similar to up above, will this ever happen? Will there be a time where my husband doesn't say, "We need you to come downstairs!" Or my newborn doesn't need to bond with me skin to skin, or need milk? NO! Everyone will need me at all times for the first few months of life.

This is something that I actually think we can accomplish this summer. And it's a big maybe! I will need all hands on deck (no pun intended). But our oldest son will finally enjoy the pool this year. The youngest might be too young to go in it, but at least we can attempt to make this happen.

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One thing I loved to do before I had kids was camping. I owned a tiny house that I would pull around on the back of my car. Essentially, it was like a bed on wheels with an adorable little tv inside. It barely slept two people, but it was so much fun to go camping in. I would love to go camping with my family again. I'm not saying we do the whole tent thing, but maybe start with a cabin?

My husband has already said that he will never fly with two children. The last flight we went on to and from Ireland with just our one son was adventurous to say the least. He's already overwhelmed at the thought of bringing two babies on a plane. I on the other hand, welcome the challenge with open arms! I'd love to try and go somewhere all four of us.

It's been almost 4 years since I've written a song for myself. I used to write music all the time, and I was inspired to do it. The last song I remember writing was before I got married to my husband. That was back in 2021. Writing a song again would be a lot of fun to do while on maternity leave. I do think I can make this happen, but I need to find the time to be by myself to really get the creative juices flowing.

I would love to go to a concert while on maternity leave!! I actually think I will be able to do this. I brought my first-born son to a number of shows after he was born and it was great to get him outside and around live music. I hope I will be able to handle two kids though this time around.