On July 3, 2015 at about 4 PM, I updated my work voicemail and turned on my out of office as I was starting my maternity leave. My due date was July 12 so I had at least a few days to rest and relax before the big day. Little did I know that my water would break a few hours later and life as I knew it had completely changed! While I was in labour, I remember my husband saying, "Could you hold off having the baby so that the baby could be born on July 4?" to which I responded, "That’s not exactly my priority right now!" Sure enough, baby Timothy would arrive on July 4, much to the delight of our family and friends, especially my American husband and family. I guess this means that Timothy will always get fireworks on his birthday.

About the Author:

Elaine- headshot for article

Elaine Stawinski is a Senior Human Resources Business Partner at RBC supporting the Technology & Operations business. She has been at RBC for over five years in various roles in Strategy and HR. Elaine holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. She resides in Toronto with her husband and child.

backToTop