Behind the Benefits: Mike DelMoro shares his parental leave experience

Mike DelMoro joined the Pinterest Communications team in June 2025 as a Senior Communications Manager for Media and Creator Relations. As he returns from parental leave, Mike sat down with Life at Pinterest to share more about one of our most celebrated benefit offerings. 

Hi Mike! Thanks for chatting with us today. You’ve been at Pinterest for a little over six months, what led you to the opportunity to work here? 

I am so thrilled to be here in case you cannot tell by my regular updates on LinkedIn and social media. Pinterest is a place for people to find inspiration for themselves and also curate and create to help inspire others. I had been looking for a way to combine my own passion for content creation with my public relations and media skills, so when I learned about the role here through my former colleagues I immediately expressed interest.

Your family has grown by two little feet recently. We’d love to hear more about your new arrival. 

Our son Wesley joined us in September of 2025 thanks to the extremely kind and selfless generosity of his gestational carrier and her family to whom we are eternally grateful. He is an absolute bundle of joy and loves to sing and dance with his dads, make silly noises, and explore the world around him – especially outside! We are so in love and feel so fortunate to have a healthy baby boy after a long IVF and surrogacy journey.  

How have Pinterest’s global parental leave and gradual return benefits supported you and your family during this pivotal transition into parenthood? 

I cannot imagine not having the parental leave and gradual return benefits that Pinterest offers. When I tell family and friends how much fully paid time off I had to bond with our newborn, they are amazed and often follow up by asking me if Pinterest is hiring! It is a model for how companies should treat employees who are eager to start a family. I was able to take four full months off which fortuitously got us to the point where Wesley was sleeping through the night. Then, I worked two days a week for another month to figure out our new childcare routine and start to transition back to work. Additionally, I reserved another full month of leave for this summer when my husband and I will both have time off to spend quality time with our son before his first birthday. Those first few months of Wesley’s life were so crucial. He was constantly changing, growing, and developing, and he needed so much love and attention. We are very grateful to have had time to be there with him.  

In what ways has your team leaned in to support your leave and return to work? 

I feel so fortunate the communications team has a lot of other working parents and new parents who understand the impact that a new baby has on your life and career. Even my peers who don’t yet have families have been so supportive by checking in and also by giving me the space and time I need to respond to work updates. During my leave, colleagues checked in only to ask how things were going with the baby and our new life as parents, but never about work itself. This gave me the mental space to keep my focus on being a good father and showing up for Wesley during those precious first months of his life. As I transition back, I still feel that my time is so respected and my colleagues are genuinely interested in making sure to keep work stress to a minimum while our family gets used to having both dads back at work full time.

Your parental leave was a bit unique, as you made the decision to split the 20 weeks offered to global employees. How do you plan to spend the remaining month? 

My husband and I are still figuring out how we’ll spend our remaining month. He will be in between his surgery fellowship and the start of a new chapter as an attending physician, so it has worked out well that we can have a full month with our family of three during the summer when Wesley is a bit older and more aware of the world around him. We are definitely going to spend some time at the beaches in New Jersey and Fire Island with family and friends, and also hope to travel somewhere new. Wesley’s gestational carrier was based in LA and we live in New York, so he has already racked up plenty of miles. We’re hoping he continues to be a good traveler as we love to explore new places around the world!

Are there any final thoughts you’d like to leave us with? 

I just want to reiterate my gratitude for the generous benefits that I’ve received while working here at Pinterest. Family planning benefits and generous parental leave are extremely attractive to employees at this stage of life and in this part of their careers. In the absence of federal family leave laws, it is really incumbent upon companies to show that they support all of their employees. It is also to an employer’s benefit as it helps attract top talent. I feel very fortunate to be here and be so supported.