tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post2319944864795855300..comments2024-03-25T10:22:36.277-04:00Comments on Women In Astronomy: The Pregnant Astronomer: Part 1Amanpreet Kaurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08734178178113146899noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-71801112662358823442013-07-06T15:58:01.450-04:002013-07-06T15:58:01.450-04:00Oh, how right OP is in praising the second trimest...Oh, how right OP is in praising the second trimester! Really, suddenly you feel "fine" after that period of weirdness (dreams, morning sickness, fatigue, ...). <br /><br />I tried to take it all in stride - relax! Yes, you still end up throwing up several times on the way down from observing from a mountain in the first trimester, but meh - the road really IS curvy :). <br /><br />So you take longer at the security line when traveling, so you come in 20 minutes later to work, so you don't give that presentation with that great physical cartoon you usually do. <br /><br />I just try to relax... in reality I am grinning, because I and only a few people in my inner circle know that there is this wonderful thing growing inside me! :)bellatrix78https://www.blogger.com/profile/17286560853976919039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-87693324592468514302013-06-30T16:44:13.121-04:002013-06-30T16:44:13.121-04:00The European Research Council subtracts 18 months ...The European Research Council subtracts 18 months per child when considering your 'academic age' or years post PhD (for men and women). <br /><br />One assumes this is sensible recognition of the true impact on one's career - rather than a ridiculous 6 weeks maternity leave and everything's back to 'normal'!<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-65231389582082644162013-06-29T12:36:22.236-04:002013-06-29T12:36:22.236-04:00I agree with the first poster - pregnancy brain, p...I agree with the first poster - pregnancy brain, particularly in the third trimester, can seriously inhibit your ability to focus on a problem. In addition I also experienced postpartum depression, which added to the burden on my brain and simultaneously made me loose motivation in my work for a long time, which ground my research to an almost halt. I don't think I regret having a baby in graduate school, but students should know that there is a good possibility your studies will be extended long beyond the extra '6 weeks maternity leave' from various effects. <br /><br />Now that my son is 15 months old, and my dissertation writing is back on track, I feel much more confident in my abilities. But the recovery was slow. And it's true that your mental faculties will continue to be split between home and work life, as they would be for a student, professor, man or woman. I no longer feel that I can work at home as effectively as I once did, because when I'm at home I think about home things. Even going to a coffee shop changes that for me. I use the physical separation to mentally switch focus. When you have something really important going on in your life at home (like a baby and a toddler are), of course it becomes harder to be that carefree graduate student who can think about their research whenever and wherever. That doesn't make it wrong...just harder to schedule. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-218497651548912512013-06-28T18:48:13.690-04:002013-06-28T18:48:13.690-04:00Instead of feeling guilty, I try to look at all th...Instead of feeling guilty, I try to look at all the time my male colleagues waste chatting (oops, sorry, networking!) around the water cooler while I'm working hard (in office hours, evening and weekends sometimes). <br /><br />I am trying to learn to say 'no' more often unless it really benefits me, my family or my team (and therefore my Department and University by proxy!). I can sit on committees when my baby has grown up, left home and I'm suffering from empty nest syndrome!<br /><br />I love my job, I adore my baby. I can do both really well, but I can't afford to be a listening post or ego massager for random male colleagues who are bored with their work or use work as a social life.<br /><br />Some of my male colleagues have said they come to work for a rest from their families. I go home to my family to get recharged. <br /><br />When I was pregnant, I had super-woman like energy in the second trimester particularly. It may just have been the impending deadline of delivery and more likely, some nice hormone thing. I used it to produce lots of publications to cushion the maternity leave or sick leave I might have to take. <br /><br />I know I couldn't have done that in industry or commerce. In astronomy, I had the flexibility to design my future the way it suited me as long as I recognised it was my right to do so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-56178824346833555142013-06-28T11:58:05.726-04:002013-06-28T11:58:05.726-04:00I traveled a lot while pregnant (more than ten tri...I traveled a lot while pregnant (more than ten trips, I'd estimate), both because I was looking for a job, and I figured that it would be a lot harder to travel with a newborn. I can say that the hardest part about the frequent traveling was the anxiety that something would go wrong when I was away from my health care team. I'm glad I got to participate as fully as I did when pregnant, but it was extremely stressful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-28325587780880213242013-06-28T11:39:08.461-04:002013-06-28T11:39:08.461-04:00I had both my daughters in grad school (my first a...I had both my daughters in grad school (my first at the end of my 3rd year and my 2nd a couple months after I defended, which was 4 months before I moved to an international postdoc position), and I have lot of experience with all of these issues. I have gone observing, to conferences, collaboration research trips and more, both while pregnant (early and late stage pregnancy) as well as with an infant (I also have some really funny stories if anyone needs a break from the pregnancy/baby stress and would like a laugh). I think the most general advice I can give is that while I definitely felt the same guilt that many of the people mentioned already, in hindsight, I would say that you should try your hardest NOT to feel guilty - that this is a natural part of a woman's life and you should empower yourself with feelings that you have the right to have this experience and ask for the help you need during this time - and expect to get it. I realize that not everyone may have the support that I had during this time, both from my colleagues, my family, and my advisor, but even if you are not as fortunate to have this support, never allow anyone to make you feel like anything is your "fault" because of your condition. Like anything else in life, we've made the choice - one to have a baby AND a career, so we have to take responsibility for that choice, but you should never allow anyone to make you feel like you have any reason in the world to question your right to make that choice, or that it was a "poor" one for an astronomer.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00179919876136557686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-2894623488117689242013-06-25T07:24:38.622-04:002013-06-25T07:24:38.622-04:00One of the highest impact effects of pregnancy tha...One of the highest impact effects of pregnancy that I suffered from was the so-called pregnancy brain. I couldn't remember anything at all, and had to keep meticulous notes on everything I did and planned. This occurred from the moment I got pregnant, until well past the time I stopped breastfeeding. Even with my youngest now being 4, I still don't feel I ever regained the mental flexibility I had prior to my pregnancies. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com