Mairead O'Connor
BIO
Research Fellow with the School of Public Health, University College Cork and happy lone parent to a baby boy aged 13 months.
Instagram: @reidinconnor
Twitter: @MaireadOConnor8
Mairead O'Connor
“Motherhood has given me a newfound confidence in myself as a person and as a scientist.”
When I graduated with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences, I never imagined that I would end up working in the area of cancer screening and cancer prevention (and not doing anything nutrition related!). I always knew from childhood that I would be a scientist of some sorts – I particularly loved biology in school. My career in research was launched when I was employed on a 6 month research assistant contract to cover somebody’s maternity leave - this opened up a lot of avenues for me and has certainly given me the springboard for where I am today.
I joined a successful research team at the National Cancer Registry of Ireland (NCRI) and began working with a multi-disciplinary research consortium that aims to advance research into HPV-associated diseases. Once at the NCRI, I quickly swapped nutritional science research to understanding women’s attitudes towards HPV and cervical cancer screening using behavioural science and health psychology. The skills I built up during my PhD were highly transferable, so I was able to draw on these for my change in research direction.
My second postdoc contract was nearing an end, and I was facing the nerve-wrecking prospect of looking for a new position (which would undoubtedly only be another short(ish) term contract) when I became pregnant. I was going solo – having a baby without a partner. Being a lone parent was not a goal of mine but having children was extremely important to me. I had been in a long-term relationship from my mid-20s to mid-30s which sadly ended.
An opportunity to apply for a research fellowship position came up and I was awarded a 4-year academic/research fellowship. This fellowship is a great opportunity for me and includes teaching students at the university, exploring new research collaborations and working on new research projects all while continuing to work with CERVIVA on HPV-related research projects.
I was very happy to be pregnant, but it was nerve-wracking and the early months of pregnancy were anxiety inducing; I have a complicated womb anatomy which meant I was at high risk of having the baby prematurely. When I was nine weeks pregnant I underwent pretty major surgery to have a stitch put in my cervix to minimise the risk of preterm delivery – I was suffering morning sickness at the time and the operation was done under general anaesthetic, so my recovery took about 3 weeks.
I had my baby boy in August 2019 and was enjoying my maternity leave so much that I decided to take some extra (unpaid) leave – which unluckily for me coincided with the arrival of Covid-19 in Ireland. The last 2 months of my maternity leave were spent in lockdown which was tough, but I had huge family support around me, and my baby flourished being around his cousins, aunties, and grandparents.
Motherhood is like being on the biggest rollercoaster of your life -there are many highs and lows (a lot of the time in one day!) but the highs definitely outweigh those bad times. It has given me a new perspective on life and made me reassess my priorities – things that mattered hugely to me before are no longer as important. Everything I do each day is with my baby in mind – be it applying for grant applications, submitting research articles for publication, or forming new research collaborations. Motherhood has also made me think more strategically about my work commitments – in particular, I’ve stopped saying yes to everything - and given me a newfound confidence in myself as a person and as a scientist.