A new year, a new outlook?

Happy New Year everyone! May it bring you wonderful things... luck, joy, contentment, success, etc.

It turns out I was far more worried than I needed to be about telling my advisor. I received a congratulations and even a plethora of advice (on childcare, etc.)! Needless to say I hope my productivity lives up to expectations so that this positive trend of interactions continues.

Speaking of productivity, I'm wondering what will happen to my undergraduate students who I mentor in the lab when my little person is born. I was thinking of still meeting with them weekly while I'm on maternity leave, but I'm not sure if this is realistic. If I leave the baby with my husband for a couple hours between nursings, can I go into campus? Will having an episiotomy prevent me from being mobile for a couple weeks? So many questions and frankly I have no idea what's realistic to expect. Any experienced advice from other women out there is welcome. I really don't want to leave my undergrads feeling as if I've abandoned them.

I also wonder how the arrival of a new little person (/ huge part) of my life will affect my outlook on jobs, science, etc. I know so many talented, career-oriented women who stopped in their career tracks and chose to focus on their family. Is a switch going to get flipped in me too? Of course I realize I'm not suddenly going to be a maternal robot without capacity to make a rational decision, but I also assume having a child will have a very very large impact on my life outlook.

Is there really an ideal job for a female scientist who wants time with her family? Is either academia or industry better suited for this? I have mixed opinions at this time, and may post on them later.

Take a deep breath... and jump

Today is the big day, i.e., the day I tell my advisor I'm expecting (more than just data). Some potential conversation starters....

~Talk about research. Hopefully goes well. Followed by...~
Me: "So... Guess what. I'm pregnant."
Advisor: "Uh. Okay."

~Talk about research. Hopefully goes well. Followed by...~
Me: "There is one more piece of data I thought you might find interesting... I'm having a baby!"
Advisor: "Get out."

~Talk about research. Hopefully goes well. Followed by...~
Me: "Did you know data suggests a well-rounded, happy worker is a more productive worker? Speaking of rounded workers, I will be pretty round in the coming months..."
Advisor: "Are we done? I've got a meeting in 5 minutes."

~Talk about research. Hopefully goes well. Followed by...~
Me: "There was one more thing I wanted to share with you. I'm pregnant."
Advisor: "That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

Expected outcome: Unknown

Pregnant Postdoc

The cat is out of the bag...



At least to you guys. Is it wrong to post this on a blog before you even announce it "in the real world?"



Things I am stressed about:

- Balance. Duh.

- The future. A postdoc is so temporary (possibly even more temporary once I tell my advisor I'm pregnant). The unknown is scary because it's just so... unknowable.

- The baby's health. (I assume this is a normal mom worry, coupled with my typical worry-worting.)

- Reactions of my boss. Reactions of my labmates, peers, potential employers. Reactions of my boss. Reactions of my childless friends. Reactions of my boss, my old bosses, and other academics.



Things I am excited about:

- The baby.

- A new exciting chapter in my life.

- Announcing it to lifelong friends.



Stay tuned for freak outs, other excitement, and how the conversations go with my postdoctoral advisor. Yikes!

(p.s. Any words of encouragement or advice are welcome. Words of warning are just too darn late!)