Danielle Hutchison
BIO
Postdoctoral researcher in chemistry.
Instagram: @postdocmama
Twitter: @HutchisonDC
Danielle Hutchison
“Being a mom is my favorite job and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
I always knew that I wanted to be a mom. My husband and I had gotten married during my senior year of college, and when I decided to pursue my PhD in chemistry we knew that we didn’t want to wait until after I graduated to start our family. I agonised over the decision to have a baby while still in grad school – every single successful female scientist that I had met had waited to have children until after their careers were established. I found out that I was pregnant at the end of the third year of my PhD program.
I was about 6 weeks pregnant when I took my oral candidacy exam. A few weeks later, I told my advisor the news and thankfully she was very excited and supportive – she even helped host and organise a baby shower for me.
I worked in the lab up until the day before my son was born and I was able to take FMLA leave for 8 weeks with 7 weeks paid. Even though I was paid a stipend during grad school, finances were still tight. My husband and I staggered our work schedules (I worked Sun-Thurs and he worked Tues-Sat) so that our son only needed to be in daycare 3 days per week, since that was all we could afford.
I successfully defended my dissertation this past December when my son was 9 months old and moved across the country to begin a postdoc position in January. I know that I’m incredibly fortunate to have had so much support from my graduate and postdoc advisors but becoming a mother at this point in my career still has its challenges.
I am typically the one getting up with my son in the night and the constant sleep deprivation makes it difficult to concentrate and do my best work. I am also breastfeeding and having to take breaks to pump during the day definitely affects my productivity at times. Travelling for conferences is a bit more tricky, and securing a permanent position with a good work-life balance is something that weighs on me a lot too.
I struggle with feeling guilty about spending so much time away from my son and sometimes I resent being the primary breadwinner for my family. But despite these challenges, being a mom is my favourite job and I would do it again in a heartbeat.