Mixing
Working at home and breastfeeding [closed]
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
When I get my PhD from college I will be working at home as a research scientist. This might require online conferences with my co-workers and my boss.
Sometime in the future I am planning on having children. I want to exclusively breastfeed them until 6 months and continue breastfeeding them until 2 years. However with a newborn that gets hungry every 2 hours or even a 3 month old that gets hungry every 4 hours how am I going to be able to do research and conferences as well as taking care of my children and even of myself(making sure I eat enough and get lots of rest and don't get sudden urges that less to incontinence) during pregnancy?
fulltime break-time
asked May 20 '15 at 7:08
Caters
1123
closed as too broad by Jan Doggen, Jane S♦, The Wandering Dev Manager, scaaahu, gnat May 20 '15 at 15:47
Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. Avoid asking multiple distinct questions at once. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
 |Â
show 6 more comments
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
When I get my PhD from college I will be working at home as a research scientist. This might require online conferences with my co-workers and my boss.
Sometime in the future I am planning on having children. I want to exclusively breastfeed them until 6 months and continue breastfeeding them until 2 years. However with a newborn that gets hungry every 2 hours or even a 3 month old that gets hungry every 4 hours how am I going to be able to do research and conferences as well as taking care of my children and even of myself(making sure I eat enough and get lots of rest and don't get sudden urges that less to incontinence) during pregnancy?
fulltime break-time
asked May 20 '15 at 7:08
Caters
1123
closed as too broad by Jan Doggen, Jane S♦, The Wandering Dev Manager, scaaahu, gnat May 20 '15 at 15:47
Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. Avoid asking multiple distinct questions at once. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
4
I'm voting to close this question as 'too broad' because you are mixing several issues that you should look at separately: 1. Working from home 2. Working while having children 3. Breastfeeding. Dealing with these issues separately makes things easier, and I suggest you write specific answerable questions for them, like "How can I visit a conference while breastfeeding?".
– Jan Doggen
May 20 '15 at 7:15
1
I think taking a maternity leave is the best option here.
– Choudhury Saadmaan Mahmid
May 20 '15 at 8:39
3
Then you will have to find a job where you can go on maternity leave. Find a job in Scandinavia for example. There you can take up to a 1 year maternity leave. Otherwise, I think you need to get your prioritizes straight. You can't do everything exactly the way you want it.
– Lasse
May 20 '15 at 9:01
1
Is some period of maternity leave not legally possible in most countries?
– Luceos
May 20 '15 at 9:59
1
I wonder if this might be more relevant on academia.se?
– yochannah
May 20 '15 at 12:02
 |Â
show 6 more comments
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
When I get my PhD from college I will be working at home as a research scientist. This might require online conferences with my co-workers and my boss.
Sometime in the future I am planning on having children. I want to exclusively breastfeed them until 6 months and continue breastfeeding them until 2 years. However with a newborn that gets hungry every 2 hours or even a 3 month old that gets hungry every 4 hours how am I going to be able to do research and conferences as well as taking care of my children and even of myself(making sure I eat enough and get lots of rest and don't get sudden urges that less to incontinence) during pregnancy?
fulltime break-time
asked May 20 '15 at 7:08
Caters
1123
When I get my PhD from college I will be working at home as a research scientist. This might require online conferences with my co-workers and my boss.
Sometime in the future I am planning on having children. I want to exclusively breastfeed them until 6 months and continue breastfeeding them until 2 years. However with a newborn that gets hungry every 2 hours or even a 3 month old that gets hungry every 4 hours how am I going to be able to do research and conferences as well as taking care of my children and even of myself(making sure I eat enough and get lots of rest and don't get sudden urges that less to incontinence) during pregnancy?
fulltime break-time
asked May 20 '15 at 7:08
Caters
1123
asked May 20 '15 at 7:08
Caters
1123
asked May 20 '15 at 7:08
Caters
1123
asked May 20 '15 at 7:08
Caters
1123
1123
closed as too broad by Jan Doggen, Jane S♦, The Wandering Dev Manager, scaaahu, gnat May 20 '15 at 15:47
Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. Avoid asking multiple distinct questions at once. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
closed as too broad by Jan Doggen, Jane S♦, The Wandering Dev Manager, scaaahu, gnat May 20 '15 at 15:47
Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. Avoid asking multiple distinct questions at once. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
4
I'm voting to close this question as 'too broad' because you are mixing several issues that you should look at separately: 1. Working from home 2. Working while having children 3. Breastfeeding. Dealing with these issues separately makes things easier, and I suggest you write specific answerable questions for them, like "How can I visit a conference while breastfeeding?".
– Jan Doggen
May 20 '15 at 7:15
1
I think taking a maternity leave is the best option here.
– Choudhury Saadmaan Mahmid
May 20 '15 at 8:39
3
Then you will have to find a job where you can go on maternity leave. Find a job in Scandinavia for example. There you can take up to a 1 year maternity leave. Otherwise, I think you need to get your prioritizes straight. You can't do everything exactly the way you want it.
– Lasse
May 20 '15 at 9:01
1
Is some period of maternity leave not legally possible in most countries?
– Luceos
May 20 '15 at 9:59
1
I wonder if this might be more relevant on academia.se?
– yochannah
May 20 '15 at 12:02
 |Â
show 6 more comments
4
I'm voting to close this question as 'too broad' because you are mixing several issues that you should look at separately: 1. Working from home 2. Working while having children 3. Breastfeeding. Dealing with these issues separately makes things easier, and I suggest you write specific answerable questions for them, like "How can I visit a conference while breastfeeding?".
– Jan Doggen
May 20 '15 at 7:15
1
I think taking a maternity leave is the best option here.
– Choudhury Saadmaan Mahmid
May 20 '15 at 8:39
3
Then you will have to find a job where you can go on maternity leave. Find a job in Scandinavia for example. There you can take up to a 1 year maternity leave. Otherwise, I think you need to get your prioritizes straight. You can't do everything exactly the way you want it.
– Lasse
May 20 '15 at 9:01
1
Is some period of maternity leave not legally possible in most countries?
– Luceos
May 20 '15 at 9:59
1
I wonder if this might be more relevant on academia.se?
– yochannah
May 20 '15 at 12:02
4
4
I'm voting to close this question as 'too broad' because you are mixing several issues that you should look at separately: 1. Working from home 2. Working while having children 3. Breastfeeding. Dealing with these issues separately makes things easier, and I suggest you write specific answerable questions for them, like "How can I visit a conference while breastfeeding?".
– Jan Doggen
May 20 '15 at 7:15
I'm voting to close this question as 'too broad' because you are mixing several issues that you should look at separately: 1. Working from home 2. Working while having children 3. Breastfeeding. Dealing with these issues separately makes things easier, and I suggest you write specific answerable questions for them, like "How can I visit a conference while breastfeeding?".
– Jan Doggen
May 20 '15 at 7:15
1
1
I think taking a maternity leave is the best option here.
– Choudhury Saadmaan Mahmid
May 20 '15 at 8:39
I think taking a maternity leave is the best option here.
– Choudhury Saadmaan Mahmid
May 20 '15 at 8:39
3
3
Then you will have to find a job where you can go on maternity leave. Find a job in Scandinavia for example. There you can take up to a 1 year maternity leave. Otherwise, I think you need to get your prioritizes straight. You can't do everything exactly the way you want it.
– Lasse
May 20 '15 at 9:01
Then you will have to find a job where you can go on maternity leave. Find a job in Scandinavia for example. There you can take up to a 1 year maternity leave. Otherwise, I think you need to get your prioritizes straight. You can't do everything exactly the way you want it.
– Lasse
May 20 '15 at 9:01
1
1
Is some period of maternity leave not legally possible in most countries?
– Luceos
May 20 '15 at 9:59
Is some period of maternity leave not legally possible in most countries?
– Luceos
May 20 '15 at 9:59
1
1
I wonder if this might be more relevant on academia.se?
– yochannah
May 20 '15 at 12:02
I wonder if this might be more relevant on academia.se?
– yochannah
May 20 '15 at 12:02
 |Â
show 6 more comments
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
6
down vote
You have more options than you seem to realize at the moment. First, as a general point, I'd recommend reading Lean In. (If you haven't read it and are skeptical, a lot of the press missed Sandberg's central point by a mile. She is very pro-family.)
Sandberg makes an excellent point about "don't leave before you leave", where women will often plan their careers around the likelihood of taking time out of the workforce later (usually to have children), downsizing their work options early because they think they will ultimately have to.
Whereas in fact, the higher you get up the ladder, the easier it is to come back to a good role and pay, etc. You'll be a more valuable employee and have more leverage. So -- don't leave before you leave. You can move to a more family-friendly job or location later (and more easily) if you make the career you want your priority right now.
But to, I hope, put mind more at ease, on a couple of the points you mention: you can pump and freeze breast milk, so attending conferences won't mean you can't breast feed if that's what you choose to do.
In terms of early days, when newborns need round the clock care, if maternity leave isn't an option, you can either move jobs before starting your family to a place that does have maternity leave, or take a leave of absence, or perhaps take a sabbatical where you can work more at your own pace.
But the bottom line is that the best way to give yourself the most options later is to give yourself the best career possible now. Don't leave before you leave.
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
3
down vote
There is a huge difference between a newborn and a 1 year old. While you might have to leave an online meeting early when your in-home caregiver signals you that the baby is fussing and needs to eat, by the time you have a toddler you can plan your meetings around the one or two times during the working day when you'll be nursing the toddler, and the rest of the time you'll be like anyone else working from home.
There is no single solution but there is a "first few weeks" solution (don't work, focus on the baby and recovering from the birth), a "first few months" solution (in home help, be interruptible, probably don't do 40 hours a week) and a "years and years" solution (in home help, children keep to your schedule but get lots of your time, you're like anyone else who works from home) to use broad strokes.
Don't try to prove in advance you can do it. You will have to solve some of it when you're in the moment. But it most certainly can be done. My oldest was born in the middle of my PhD (and we planned it that way) and I have worked from home in my own business her whole life - over 25 years so far. (For some years we also had an office outside the home and went there, but we worked at home as well that whole time.) Thinking on your feet and knowing your own priorities are key.
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
1
down vote
You should definitely look into taking maternity leave.
Top priority will be to take care of the children while they are young enough to require breastfeeding on THEIR schedule i.e. any time they want :)
Second priority will be to keep up with the literature of your specialty, which you should be able to do from home, assuming that this literature is available online.
You can, to an extent, be active in the research in the field through the efforts of your graduate students either as an adviser or a co-adviser. You'll have to play this part by ear because being an adviser or a co-adviser may suck up more time than you have, given that you must take of your children and you must read up on the literature on whatever time you have available.
As @Mhici says, you're better off seeking maternity leave as a research scientist with some seniority and some managerial responsibility e.g. supervising graduate students than a random post-doc, if you can make it happen.
You're not the first nor will you be the last person in this situation. You should seek to network with your female colleagues anywhere in the university and from other universities and pick their brains on how best to manage this situation. If you are working for a company, then you need to make an appointment with your HR. In fact, if you are working for a university, make an appointment with HR, too. You need to know what your employer can do for employees who plan on having children. I have a good friend who was in your situation twenty years ago and her university teaching career at Cornell has been doing just fine - She never missed a chance to demonstrate her higher IQ and EQ on me and at my expense when we were graduate students at the School of Engineering of Columbia University :)
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
suggest improvements |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
6
down vote
You have more options than you seem to realize at the moment. First, as a general point, I'd recommend reading Lean In. (If you haven't read it and are skeptical, a lot of the press missed Sandberg's central point by a mile. She is very pro-family.)
Sandberg makes an excellent point about "don't leave before you leave", where women will often plan their careers around the likelihood of taking time out of the workforce later (usually to have children), downsizing their work options early because they think they will ultimately have to.
Whereas in fact, the higher you get up the ladder, the easier it is to come back to a good role and pay, etc. You'll be a more valuable employee and have more leverage. So -- don't leave before you leave. You can move to a more family-friendly job or location later (and more easily) if you make the career you want your priority right now.
But to, I hope, put mind more at ease, on a couple of the points you mention: you can pump and freeze breast milk, so attending conferences won't mean you can't breast feed if that's what you choose to do.
In terms of early days, when newborns need round the clock care, if maternity leave isn't an option, you can either move jobs before starting your family to a place that does have maternity leave, or take a leave of absence, or perhaps take a sabbatical where you can work more at your own pace.
But the bottom line is that the best way to give yourself the most options later is to give yourself the best career possible now. Don't leave before you leave.
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
6
down vote
You have more options than you seem to realize at the moment. First, as a general point, I'd recommend reading Lean In. (If you haven't read it and are skeptical, a lot of the press missed Sandberg's central point by a mile. She is very pro-family.)
Sandberg makes an excellent point about "don't leave before you leave", where women will often plan their careers around the likelihood of taking time out of the workforce later (usually to have children), downsizing their work options early because they think they will ultimately have to.
Whereas in fact, the higher you get up the ladder, the easier it is to come back to a good role and pay, etc. You'll be a more valuable employee and have more leverage. So -- don't leave before you leave. You can move to a more family-friendly job or location later (and more easily) if you make the career you want your priority right now.
But to, I hope, put mind more at ease, on a couple of the points you mention: you can pump and freeze breast milk, so attending conferences won't mean you can't breast feed if that's what you choose to do.
In terms of early days, when newborns need round the clock care, if maternity leave isn't an option, you can either move jobs before starting your family to a place that does have maternity leave, or take a leave of absence, or perhaps take a sabbatical where you can work more at your own pace.
But the bottom line is that the best way to give yourself the most options later is to give yourself the best career possible now. Don't leave before you leave.
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
6
down vote
up vote
6
down vote
You have more options than you seem to realize at the moment. First, as a general point, I'd recommend reading Lean In. (If you haven't read it and are skeptical, a lot of the press missed Sandberg's central point by a mile. She is very pro-family.)
Sandberg makes an excellent point about "don't leave before you leave", where women will often plan their careers around the likelihood of taking time out of the workforce later (usually to have children), downsizing their work options early because they think they will ultimately have to.
Whereas in fact, the higher you get up the ladder, the easier it is to come back to a good role and pay, etc. You'll be a more valuable employee and have more leverage. So -- don't leave before you leave. You can move to a more family-friendly job or location later (and more easily) if you make the career you want your priority right now.
But to, I hope, put mind more at ease, on a couple of the points you mention: you can pump and freeze breast milk, so attending conferences won't mean you can't breast feed if that's what you choose to do.
In terms of early days, when newborns need round the clock care, if maternity leave isn't an option, you can either move jobs before starting your family to a place that does have maternity leave, or take a leave of absence, or perhaps take a sabbatical where you can work more at your own pace.
But the bottom line is that the best way to give yourself the most options later is to give yourself the best career possible now. Don't leave before you leave.
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
You have more options than you seem to realize at the moment. First, as a general point, I'd recommend reading Lean In. (If you haven't read it and are skeptical, a lot of the press missed Sandberg's central point by a mile. She is very pro-family.)
Sandberg makes an excellent point about "don't leave before you leave", where women will often plan their careers around the likelihood of taking time out of the workforce later (usually to have children), downsizing their work options early because they think they will ultimately have to.
Whereas in fact, the higher you get up the ladder, the easier it is to come back to a good role and pay, etc. You'll be a more valuable employee and have more leverage. So -- don't leave before you leave. You can move to a more family-friendly job or location later (and more easily) if you make the career you want your priority right now.
But to, I hope, put mind more at ease, on a couple of the points you mention: you can pump and freeze breast milk, so attending conferences won't mean you can't breast feed if that's what you choose to do.
In terms of early days, when newborns need round the clock care, if maternity leave isn't an option, you can either move jobs before starting your family to a place that does have maternity leave, or take a leave of absence, or perhaps take a sabbatical where you can work more at your own pace.
But the bottom line is that the best way to give yourself the most options later is to give yourself the best career possible now. Don't leave before you leave.
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
edited May 20 '15 at 10:51
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
answered May 20 '15 at 9:44
Saoirse
95147
95147
suggest improvements |Â
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
3
down vote
There is a huge difference between a newborn and a 1 year old. While you might have to leave an online meeting early when your in-home caregiver signals you that the baby is fussing and needs to eat, by the time you have a toddler you can plan your meetings around the one or two times during the working day when you'll be nursing the toddler, and the rest of the time you'll be like anyone else working from home.
There is no single solution but there is a "first few weeks" solution (don't work, focus on the baby and recovering from the birth), a "first few months" solution (in home help, be interruptible, probably don't do 40 hours a week) and a "years and years" solution (in home help, children keep to your schedule but get lots of your time, you're like anyone else who works from home) to use broad strokes.
Don't try to prove in advance you can do it. You will have to solve some of it when you're in the moment. But it most certainly can be done. My oldest was born in the middle of my PhD (and we planned it that way) and I have worked from home in my own business her whole life - over 25 years so far. (For some years we also had an office outside the home and went there, but we worked at home as well that whole time.) Thinking on your feet and knowing your own priorities are key.
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
3
down vote
There is a huge difference between a newborn and a 1 year old. While you might have to leave an online meeting early when your in-home caregiver signals you that the baby is fussing and needs to eat, by the time you have a toddler you can plan your meetings around the one or two times during the working day when you'll be nursing the toddler, and the rest of the time you'll be like anyone else working from home.
There is no single solution but there is a "first few weeks" solution (don't work, focus on the baby and recovering from the birth), a "first few months" solution (in home help, be interruptible, probably don't do 40 hours a week) and a "years and years" solution (in home help, children keep to your schedule but get lots of your time, you're like anyone else who works from home) to use broad strokes.
Don't try to prove in advance you can do it. You will have to solve some of it when you're in the moment. But it most certainly can be done. My oldest was born in the middle of my PhD (and we planned it that way) and I have worked from home in my own business her whole life - over 25 years so far. (For some years we also had an office outside the home and went there, but we worked at home as well that whole time.) Thinking on your feet and knowing your own priorities are key.
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
There is a huge difference between a newborn and a 1 year old. While you might have to leave an online meeting early when your in-home caregiver signals you that the baby is fussing and needs to eat, by the time you have a toddler you can plan your meetings around the one or two times during the working day when you'll be nursing the toddler, and the rest of the time you'll be like anyone else working from home.
There is no single solution but there is a "first few weeks" solution (don't work, focus on the baby and recovering from the birth), a "first few months" solution (in home help, be interruptible, probably don't do 40 hours a week) and a "years and years" solution (in home help, children keep to your schedule but get lots of your time, you're like anyone else who works from home) to use broad strokes.
Don't try to prove in advance you can do it. You will have to solve some of it when you're in the moment. But it most certainly can be done. My oldest was born in the middle of my PhD (and we planned it that way) and I have worked from home in my own business her whole life - over 25 years so far. (For some years we also had an office outside the home and went there, but we worked at home as well that whole time.) Thinking on your feet and knowing your own priorities are key.
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
There is a huge difference between a newborn and a 1 year old. While you might have to leave an online meeting early when your in-home caregiver signals you that the baby is fussing and needs to eat, by the time you have a toddler you can plan your meetings around the one or two times during the working day when you'll be nursing the toddler, and the rest of the time you'll be like anyone else working from home.
There is no single solution but there is a "first few weeks" solution (don't work, focus on the baby and recovering from the birth), a "first few months" solution (in home help, be interruptible, probably don't do 40 hours a week) and a "years and years" solution (in home help, children keep to your schedule but get lots of your time, you're like anyone else who works from home) to use broad strokes.
Don't try to prove in advance you can do it. You will have to solve some of it when you're in the moment. But it most certainly can be done. My oldest was born in the middle of my PhD (and we planned it that way) and I have worked from home in my own business her whole life - over 25 years so far. (For some years we also had an office outside the home and went there, but we worked at home as well that whole time.) Thinking on your feet and knowing your own priorities are key.
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
answered May 20 '15 at 11:20
Kate Gregory
105k40230332
105k40230332
suggest improvements |Â
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
1
down vote
You should definitely look into taking maternity leave.
Top priority will be to take care of the children while they are young enough to require breastfeeding on THEIR schedule i.e. any time they want :)
Second priority will be to keep up with the literature of your specialty, which you should be able to do from home, assuming that this literature is available online.
You can, to an extent, be active in the research in the field through the efforts of your graduate students either as an adviser or a co-adviser. You'll have to play this part by ear because being an adviser or a co-adviser may suck up more time than you have, given that you must take of your children and you must read up on the literature on whatever time you have available.
As @Mhici says, you're better off seeking maternity leave as a research scientist with some seniority and some managerial responsibility e.g. supervising graduate students than a random post-doc, if you can make it happen.
You're not the first nor will you be the last person in this situation. You should seek to network with your female colleagues anywhere in the university and from other universities and pick their brains on how best to manage this situation. If you are working for a company, then you need to make an appointment with your HR. In fact, if you are working for a university, make an appointment with HR, too. You need to know what your employer can do for employees who plan on having children. I have a good friend who was in your situation twenty years ago and her university teaching career at Cornell has been doing just fine - She never missed a chance to demonstrate her higher IQ and EQ on me and at my expense when we were graduate students at the School of Engineering of Columbia University :)
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
1
down vote
You should definitely look into taking maternity leave.
Top priority will be to take care of the children while they are young enough to require breastfeeding on THEIR schedule i.e. any time they want :)
Second priority will be to keep up with the literature of your specialty, which you should be able to do from home, assuming that this literature is available online.
You can, to an extent, be active in the research in the field through the efforts of your graduate students either as an adviser or a co-adviser. You'll have to play this part by ear because being an adviser or a co-adviser may suck up more time than you have, given that you must take of your children and you must read up on the literature on whatever time you have available.
As @Mhici says, you're better off seeking maternity leave as a research scientist with some seniority and some managerial responsibility e.g. supervising graduate students than a random post-doc, if you can make it happen.
You're not the first nor will you be the last person in this situation. You should seek to network with your female colleagues anywhere in the university and from other universities and pick their brains on how best to manage this situation. If you are working for a company, then you need to make an appointment with your HR. In fact, if you are working for a university, make an appointment with HR, too. You need to know what your employer can do for employees who plan on having children. I have a good friend who was in your situation twenty years ago and her university teaching career at Cornell has been doing just fine - She never missed a chance to demonstrate her higher IQ and EQ on me and at my expense when we were graduate students at the School of Engineering of Columbia University :)
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
You should definitely look into taking maternity leave.
Top priority will be to take care of the children while they are young enough to require breastfeeding on THEIR schedule i.e. any time they want :)
Second priority will be to keep up with the literature of your specialty, which you should be able to do from home, assuming that this literature is available online.
You can, to an extent, be active in the research in the field through the efforts of your graduate students either as an adviser or a co-adviser. You'll have to play this part by ear because being an adviser or a co-adviser may suck up more time than you have, given that you must take of your children and you must read up on the literature on whatever time you have available.
As @Mhici says, you're better off seeking maternity leave as a research scientist with some seniority and some managerial responsibility e.g. supervising graduate students than a random post-doc, if you can make it happen.
You're not the first nor will you be the last person in this situation. You should seek to network with your female colleagues anywhere in the university and from other universities and pick their brains on how best to manage this situation. If you are working for a company, then you need to make an appointment with your HR. In fact, if you are working for a university, make an appointment with HR, too. You need to know what your employer can do for employees who plan on having children. I have a good friend who was in your situation twenty years ago and her university teaching career at Cornell has been doing just fine - She never missed a chance to demonstrate her higher IQ and EQ on me and at my expense when we were graduate students at the School of Engineering of Columbia University :)
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
You should definitely look into taking maternity leave.
Top priority will be to take care of the children while they are young enough to require breastfeeding on THEIR schedule i.e. any time they want :)
Second priority will be to keep up with the literature of your specialty, which you should be able to do from home, assuming that this literature is available online.
You can, to an extent, be active in the research in the field through the efforts of your graduate students either as an adviser or a co-adviser. You'll have to play this part by ear because being an adviser or a co-adviser may suck up more time than you have, given that you must take of your children and you must read up on the literature on whatever time you have available.
As @Mhici says, you're better off seeking maternity leave as a research scientist with some seniority and some managerial responsibility e.g. supervising graduate students than a random post-doc, if you can make it happen.
You're not the first nor will you be the last person in this situation. You should seek to network with your female colleagues anywhere in the university and from other universities and pick their brains on how best to manage this situation. If you are working for a company, then you need to make an appointment with your HR. In fact, if you are working for a university, make an appointment with HR, too. You need to know what your employer can do for employees who plan on having children. I have a good friend who was in your situation twenty years ago and her university teaching career at Cornell has been doing just fine - She never missed a chance to demonstrate her higher IQ and EQ on me and at my expense when we were graduate students at the School of Engineering of Columbia University :)
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
answered May 20 '15 at 11:18
Vietnhi Phuvan
68.9k7118254
68.9k7118254
suggest improvements |Â
suggest improvements |Â
4
I'm voting to close this question as 'too broad' because you are mixing several issues that you should look at separately: 1. Working from home 2. Working while having children 3. Breastfeeding. Dealing with these issues separately makes things easier, and I suggest you write specific answerable questions for them, like "How can I visit a conference while breastfeeding?".
– Jan Doggen
May 20 '15 at 7:15
1
I think taking a maternity leave is the best option here.
– Choudhury Saadmaan Mahmid
May 20 '15 at 8:39
3
Then you will have to find a job where you can go on maternity leave. Find a job in Scandinavia for example. There you can take up to a 1 year maternity leave. Otherwise, I think you need to get your prioritizes straight. You can't do everything exactly the way you want it.
– Lasse
May 20 '15 at 9:01
1
Is some period of maternity leave not legally possible in most countries?
– Luceos
May 20 '15 at 9:59
1
I wonder if this might be more relevant on academia.se?
– yochannah
May 20 '15 at 12:02