Today is the first day in nearly a month where I have not been too exhausted, nauseous, or foggy headed to write my assignment. Unfortunately, it is also the last working day of the summer holidays…
We found out that we were expecting back in mid-July and I have been unfortunately enough to suffer from extreme morning sickness throughout my entire nine weeks of pregnancy. Thankfully, this has taken place in the summer holidays, so I have been able to hide away from friends who would be concerned or pupils who would be… well interested to know when I’m being sick nearly all day! However, it does not help that my next EdD assignment is due on the 1st September.
With the unrealistic expectations of a first-time mother, I assumed that the first trimester was the least dramatic; that the further along you are, the more of an impact a pregnancy will have on you. Fool. Alongside the shockingly horrible physical impact is the emotional rollercoaster that is a fear of miscarriage and the social dance of “why aren’t you drinking? You love gin!”. All of this a universal experience that many of you reading this will understand. Alongside this I have the worry about my doctorate. Two of my lifetime goals are to have children and complete a doctorate in education; it just happens that these two dreams are happening at the same time. How can I make sure that they are coinciding and not competing? Is there any way to do this without feeling like a failure in one way or another?
I don’t know the answer, but I do promise to be honest and open about the experiences. I know this is quite a niche situation to be in, but if you are completing a doctorate whilst working and balance family responsibilities of any kinds, perhaps we can learn together!