Interviews and surveys of hundreds of women in the U.S. who recently returned to work after giving birth reveals four key support mechanism they value most: help navigating the HR infrastructure, creating spaces for key motherhood activities, having their identity as a worker validated, and having their identity as a mother validated. The research also explores why these four actions are particularly helpful, emphasizes that anyone can be a good ally, and recommends ways to better support non-birthing parents, too.