Bengaluru couple brings son to work, opens up about balancing newborn and startup

A Bengaluru-based couple, founders of the mental health platform YourDOST, triggered a conversation on LinkedIn after discussing one of their “most challenging situations” at present – balancing parenthood and work.
“One of the most challenging situations for us as couple founders is balancing our new born (Rudra) with our other baby YourDOST. It was very easy to give an (idealistic) answer when we did not have him. Things are very different than we anticipated,” Puneet Manuja said in his post.
While Puneet and his wife Richa’s complementary skills made working together a positive experience, balancing the responsibilities of their startup with raising a newborn was overwhelming, leading to sleepless nights, guilt, and self-doubt, but also continuous learning.
“Richa and I being couple founders, a lot of people have asked us of the pros and cons of the same. We have always seen more pros than cons (especially because of our complementary skills). But running a company together while raising our newborn was overwhelming. Sleepless nights turn into long workdays. The guilt of not being able to give our 100% to either role was (and is) real. Some days, we questioned if we were doing enough as parents or as leaders. But we learned (and are learning),” he added.
Acting upon a suggestion from their friend, Puneet and Richa have now started bringing their son to work.
“And the most important was – to integrate him into our work and vice versa. We lean on our team, our family, and even on YourDOST’s own mental health services. A dear friend Siddharth (having done this with his baby while scaling PlaySimple Games) gave this idea last month and we started bringing him to office. That was probably one of the most effective things we have done,” he added.
Reflecting on parenthood and professional growth, Puneet encouraged working parents to embrace their struggles.
“Today, our son is 1.5 years old, and YourDOST continues to grow. The journey wasn’t easy, but it has taught us resilience, empathy, and the importance of asking for help. To all parents juggling careers and family—know that it’s okay to struggle. You are not alone,” he said.
The post also included a screenshot of a message that was sent on the company’s WhatsApp group by Richa.
Featuring a picture of their son Rudra, the message said: “Good morning everyone, Rudra is in the office today. If he creates any trouble and disturbance, please do let me know (please do without any hesitation) so that we can ensure things are sorted. We are also learning.”
See the post here:
In the comments section, social media users shared supportive messages for the couple and sent across best wishes.
The couple’s journey highlights the importance of adaptability and shared effort in managing dual roles as parents and professionals.