When Tamara Cramer found herself changing yet another milk-stained silk blouse at work, she knew something had to give.

Cramer was a public relations and events marketing manager at Group Publishing in Loveland, and she loved her job. She went in early and left late, believed in the company and knew she was well-positioned for a promotion. But it wasn't working.

Her first child, Owen – who at the time was 2 – was struggling at home. He had cystic fibrosis, and between his meal and medication schedule, required a full-time caretaker. Cramer couldn't help but feel that he needed more time with Mom.

With the birth of her daughter, Eden, matters quickly spiraled. Whether it was catching up on email during family dinner or pumping milk at the office, Cramer constantly had to be two places at once – and couldn't help feeling as if she was never fully at either.

So she quit, deciding that trying any longer to strike the right work-life balance just wasn't going to work.

Cramer says leaving her job for her family was "one of the hardest decisions" she's ever had to make.

It is a decision that, it appears, many women who are mothers and top professionals across