The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore the experiences of three general music teachers navigating maternity leave and the return to the classroom following the birth of a child. Following in the footsteps of Fitzpatrick (2013) and Fitzpatrick and Sweet (2024), I have approached this research through a lens of motherhood studies (Barnes, 2013; Kawash, 2011; O’Reilly, 2006; O’Reilly, 2008; O’Reilly, 2010a; O’Reilly, 2010b; O’Reilly, 2016; O’Reilly, 2024), which centers women's voices and experiences. This study was guided by the following research questions: (a) What challenges did participants describe regarding maternity leave and the return to the classroom following the birth of a child? (b) What support did participants describe regarding maternity leave and the return to the classroom following the birth of a child?Data sources for the study included individual and focus group interviews and three-monthly reflection responses. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that while at least one participant mentioned family support, financial support, self-advocacy, and the support of retired music teachers as being essential, not every participant had support in each one of these areas. Participants faced significant challenges including trouble finding a qualified substitute, lack of administrative support, difficulty balancing home and professional life, and an internal pressure to continue providing students with the same opportunities that were offered prior to leave. In addition to a strong passion for both work and home, participants emphasized the critical role of family, paid leave policies (North Carolina Office of State Human Resources, 2023), and the help of retired music teachers in their return to the music classroom. This reinforces literature from motherhood studies (O’Reilly, 2006, 2010a) on the power of supportive networks and both formal (policy) and informal (family/community) supports in enabling empowered mothering. School districts and music teacher organizations could amplify this support by creating mentorship programs for expectant mothers, advocating for continued expansion of paid parental leave policies, and curating substitute pools specifically for music teachers. With a continued examination of motherhood through the experiences of music educators, researchers may begin to understand the unique challenges that music teacher mothers encounter, and outline policies that provide support while empowering women to be confident and successful both at work and at home.