I knew being a single mother was going to be a challenge. The kindness of others, including my boss, made it manageable.

Jamilah Lemieux.Courtesy of Aria Askari via Jamilah Lemieux.Jamilah Lemieux is a writer, editor, public speaker, and a former senior editor at Ebony.

Her work focuses on the issues of race, gender, and motherhood.This essay is an adapted excerpt from her book "Black. Single.

Mother.: Real Life Tales of Longing and Belonging"I announced my daughter Naima's birth with a picture that I snapped just moments after she was handed to me in the delivery room. I didn't notice it immediately, but it looked like she was holding up her middle finger (one of my friends asked if I had done this on purpose, which made me question what kind of person she thought I was).

Now that I know my kid, this photo was completely on brand.Right after I had Naima, I hit the ground running. I had to prove to the world that I could still do things besides mothering, even while mothering alone.

Professionally, I was flourishing. My popularity as a Twitter personality was growing, and I was booking news appearances and speaking engagements on a regular basis. I felt confident about the life I was building for my child and me.

Naima was born on a Friday night, and on Monday afternoon, I did a virtual appearance on a daily talk show. The host, who was a friend, was shocked that I showed up — literally nursing my baby the whole time. I didn't want to miss out on any opportunities.

I had called in to an editorial meeting from the hospital. I was not playing.I only took six weeks of leaveWhen she was born, I could afford only six weeks of maternity leave, hardly enough time for a woman and her baby to bond.

When it was time to return to work, I still had no childcare.Amazingly enough, my boss told me I could discreetly bring Naima to the office while I searched for options. In other words, I couldn't set up a whole nursery, but a little bouncer was fine.

I never would have dreamed of asking for that kind of accommodation unless I had no other options, and I had zero.Childcare was way harder to find — and