CATHERINE REITMAN

When I first got pregnant, my husband and I were huge consumers of premium cable television, and we were watching all of these shows, and it would either be the B-storyline of a show like 'Homeland,' where she's a working mother, or you have even smaller C-storylines on a show like 'Mad Men.'

'Workin' Moms,' obviously, is about mothers who also work. But we're also expected to remain graceful when we return to work, and that's just impossible.

I went back to work about six weeks after I gave birth, which was crazy early, and experienced some pretty bad postpartum depression but didn't know it at the time.

Having children is messy and easy to judge.

I can't deny that I've had a privileged upbringing. I've been really fortunate regarding how I entered this world, not just financially, but in that I have really great parents who show me a lot of love.

There's an identity crisis - a lot of us become mothers, and all of a sudden, we're expected to become these selfless people. That's not a really natural process. That, for me, never felt organic.

There's a repression against mothers where we're expected to be full-time workers and pretend we're not mothers, and then expected to be full-time mothers who pretend we're not working. Simultaneously, within the hours of the week that exist.

Are there days where I wish I was just at home with my kids? Yeah, most days. But then I look at our accomplishments, and I feel alive; I feel so proud of myself. So it's a very confusing thing to be a working parent.

There's a different expectation, not just on mothers but on women. We're expected to do it all, to have it all, and look good through the process and have a smile on our face, and that's not always the case.

I don't have a perfect meal on the table most nights. Any night!

There's been times I've been paralyzed by guilt when I've had to work crazy hours or miss a parent-teacher interview.

I feel very lucky to be able to have my dad and to have him as a guide as I've had my whole life. It's just been a really cool ride.

It's not the most relatable thing for working moms to have freshly painted claws all the time.

When people stop me to say they love 'Workin' Moms,' it's not just that the show makes them laugh or is a great escape - they tell me my, or another, character's story is their story.

I've embraced comfortable, but still chic, footwear. I don't know who I was wearing heels for - as much as I love the way they make my legs look and the power I feel when I choose to wear them - but I can do a longer and more pressing day if I'm in a shoe I can walk in.

We've all been in that metaphoric place, having to scream out what you want in the face of your fears.

I had such a crush on Sasha Mitchell from 'Step By Step.'

Part of being a mother - part of the comedy of it, anyway - is what happens to your body.

I'm lucky enough to be stopped on the street for two things, usually: for 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' and for 'Workin' Moms.'

Breastfeeding takes a toll on your body... your spirit.

If you can find moments of success, then you're ahead of the curve.

I really enjoy working. I really enjoy telling stories. I really enjoy acting. The idea that I would have a baby and stop doing that was unrealistic to me.

We should go after our dreams and not be apologetic about it, but it's scary. Whether you want to work or not, you have to do what makes you a fuller person. You have to love yourself.

Stay-at-home mothers, working mothers, people are very tough on each other. I don't see that in the world of men. I don't see working men who have children, and those who don't, judging each other. I think there's a different category of expectation.

You can have a career and kids who love you. But you have to nurture yourself and find a way to be fulfilled so you're not resentful.