Hi everyone,

How fun to read posts about what people are doing! I thought Sara's article was extremely well-written. One of the problems I've had with some articles that deal with parenting and research is that they don't always address what happens when you happen to have a baby who needs hospitalization and/or is chronically ill (e.g. reflux, asthma), or if you have complications during delivery. Sara's article covers those situations nicely.

I had a tough time with my baby, as she had milk allergies, reflux, and asthma, rejected breastfeeding, and I had complications with delivery and recovery. I didn't have family who could help, or the funds to afford a nanny or babysitter, or a husband who had time to help. Having a support group is quite essential, as is mentioned frequently in all the articles I've read.

Luckily, I was almost done collecting data by the time she came along, and I had an undergraduate who was able to finish my genetic analyses for me while I moved across the country to be with my husband (who was doing an internship) and have the baby. This was my situation 2.5 years ago, and my PhD was only saved from destruction by an advisor who paid me a stipend for one year during which I hardly was able to work at all. He has supported me while I was only able to work during naptimes, with no child-care support available. 

With an amazing advisor, I've been able to continue writing, and though my pace is extremely slow, I'm making progress, and things are getting much easier now that my daughter is 2.5 yrs old and is growing out of her allergies. We're also more settled, now that my husband has a permanent job, though it's taken us overseas. With preschool, a little financial security, and an amazing advisor (and supportive committee as well), I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Overall, I just wanted to reiterate the points made by other people: try to have childcare assistance, a supportive work environment, and be prepared to be flexible. It seems to me that many schools are quite supportive, and even in extreme situations, you don't have to give up either education or family, if you want both.

Cheers,

Alisa

--- In scienceandfamilies@ yahoogroups. com, "sescanga" <sescanga@.. .>
wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I'm a Ph.D. candidate and the mother of a 2 year old. I'm writing up
> my dissertation while taking care of my son at home--with help from a
> babysitter 3 mornings a week. It is very inspiring to read the
> thoughts people have posted.
>
> I'm writing an article on the balance of career and family to be
> submitted to Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment at the end of
> the month. My article is based on feedback, obtained through
> informal conversations and a score of answers to a formal survey,
> from other ecologists at all stages of career. I finished my draft
> yesterday and was perusing the literature to see what others had to
> say about this topic, and found Carolyn's article (2007, Bulletin of
> ESA), and then joined this group.
>
> The topics that are of most interest here (and in Carolyn's article)
> are those that are also of most interest to the people who provided
> feedback for my article. It seems as though a lot of these issues
> are pretty universal, and don't have easy answers. In developing my
> article, I was encouraged to see that both men and women shared a
> keen interest in the topic.
>
> Members of this group might also be interested in the articles
> Science has compiled on the topic:
> http://sciencecaree rs.sciencemag. org/career_ development/ previous_ issue
> s/articles/2800/ scientists_ as_parents_ feature_index/
>
> I'm planning to cite Carolyn's article in my article in the hopes
> that we can perhaps use it as a second jumping off point for further
> fruitful discussions in this group.
>
> Sara
>