Is there a good time to have children when you’re a research scientist?

• Have you ever wondered how becoming a parent might affect your career trajectory and that of your spouse or partner?
• What’s the best time to get pregnant?;
• Is there a way to time my maternatiy leave perfectly with my teaching schedule?;
• How do I negotiate maternity leave?;
• How do I negotiate my working hours when coming back to work after maternity leave?;
• How do I negotiate project ownership when I’m on maternity leave during my PhD/postdoc?
• Child care?;
• Where can I breastfeed/express on campus?;
• Can I bring my child to the classroom/meeting/conference/dinner?;
• How can I balance my fieldwork with my family commitments?;
• Does having a family mean that people think I’m not serious about my career as a scientist?;
• How much paternity leave do I get?

Have you got any other questions? If so, get in touch! I’d like to try and find some answers for you. OR, do you have the answer to any of the above questions. If so, get in touch too! I’d like to share your answers. You can contact me via the comments below, or send an email to thesciencemamas [at] gmail [dot] com