Becoming a new mother can bring both excitement and anxiety. Expectant mothers will be excited over the new life developing inside of them and tremendously anxious over their health, the health of the baby, as well as all of the new parenting responsibilities that await them. When you are a working mother, you may also experience feeling of guilt because you know that you may be only able to spend a short amount of time with your baby after birth depending on the Maternity Leave or Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). After learning that I was pregnant, I wondered if I would be able to realistically continue a career and be an involved mother. I knew that pregnancy and motherhood would alter my life; I just did not know how and to what extent. Once new motherhood is staring you in the face, you are forced to see things differently and organize your life accordingly.

Work in a Tenure Track Position

The primary purpose of academic tenure is the protection and promotion of academic freedom. The ultimate benefit of tenure is job security. The academic tenure process, commonly referred to as “tenure track,” is typically set forth in a policy which should assist the faculty member with an actual roadmap to reappointment, promotion, and continuing appointment. The policy should also define the ranking system, including the criteria for personnel decisions, and describe the roles of the candidate in these actions. The policy, however, can still be difficult to understand. Depending on your situation and work environment, gaining tenure is a process that can be difficult to manage at first, especially if it is your first tenure-track position. Eventually you learn what works best for you and the institution you work for.

The road to attaining tenure is rigorous and challenging. It may several years for you to learn the process and feel confident about making the long haul. Tenure responsibilities include: scholarship, teaching, service, and professional development – not necessarily in that order and typically takes seven years. Work in a tenure track position often seems like a constant state of unease. Tenure is a process grounded in selectivity. You just do not know what may work for you or against you. As stated in the Pennsylvania State University University Libraries’ Promotion and Tenure Criteria, “reappointment and promotion require achievement; continuing appointment requires the promise of continuing achievement.” If you are not aware already, learn all you can about the process and what is expected of you to gain tenure. Speak to your supervisor(s) about options. For example, if travel to conferences is a regular practice at your organization, see if you can limit your conference attendance to local events or, consider using this time to write and getting published.

New Motherhood Considerations

There are many work-related decisions a woman faces after deciding to start a family and actually becoming pregnant. These decisions may include breaking the news at work, reconfiguring your work schedule or using flexible work options, thinking about maternity leave or Family Medical Leave, childcare, and maintaining your career. Before making any decisions, know your rights and gain a solid understanding of your benefits. Scrutinize your employers health plan and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Read your contract and make an appointment with someone in Human Resources, Personnel Department or the Union. Determine your paid and unpaid leave timetable. Talk to others at the same rank as you who have used family leave. They can give you the real deal between theory and practice.

Breaking the News at Work

Deciding when to break the news at work is up to you. Some expectant mothers choose to wait until the second trimester when the chances of miscarriage lessen. Others spread the news as soon as they find out. Be assured that it is perfectly normal to experience anxiety about informing your colleagues. None of us wants to be treated with less respect or put our jobs in jeopardy. Realize and accept the anxiety that revolves around informing your supervisor(s) and coworkers as well as how you will meet your job responsibilities while pregnant and after the birth of your baby. Be conscious of whatever physical and psychological changes may take place during your pregnancy and adjust accordingly. When thinking about maternity leave or family medical leave, decide what works for you and the organization that you work for. Options include: leave with pay, use of state, company, or supplemental disability benefits, and unpaid leave.

Coping With Your Work Schedule

All libraries are not the same, especially when it comes to the type of service offered and the hours made available to serve. Academic libraries are usually open to the public evenings and weekends. Depending on what you do, such as reference service and bibliographic instruction, you may not be able to get out of your evening or weekend shift. Explore flexible work options. Based on library-related literature, telecommuting, flextime, and time grants are all being used in various types of library environments. Maybe you can use one or all of these options to work around the evenings and weekends that you may be required to work.

Maternity/Family Medical Leave

Talk with you doctor and find out how much time you should take off before and/or after giving birth. Basically, the amount of leave you require rests solely on your health and the type of delivery you have. Keep in mind that women who have a caesarean section delivery require more weeks of recovery time than a vaginal birth -- if there are no additional complications. When preparing to talk to you supervisor about your pregnancy, maternity/family medical leave, and its effect on your job, give thought to more than one scenario. Never promise anything while you are pregnant! You do not know what your situation will truly be like or how you may feel after the baby is born.

Childcare

Childcare will ultimately make or break your situation at work. Since many expectant mothers are unable or choose not be stay-at-home moms, finding dependable and trustworthy childcare is the goal. Childcare options include: daycare centers, home daycare, nanny care, and relative caregivers. Do your research and ascertain which situation is best for you. One great approach for finding decent childcare is to get a referral from someone who has a child(ren) in a place that has served them well. The next best approach is to visit a few of the national childcare web sites, such as:

• The National Association for the Education of Young Children <www.naeyc.org>
• National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) <www.naccrra.org>
• National Association for Family Child Care <www.nafcc.org>
• National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care <http://nrc.uchsc.edu>
• The National Network for Child Care <www.nncc.org>

Balancing Your Household and Career

After talking with many working mothers, the consensus is not to try and do everything. It was recommended that a new mother should take inventory of all that they hope to accomplish, prioritize, re-prioritize, and then eliminate if possible. The amount of time and energy you have will change after the baby is born. The basic idea is to maintain order without becoming overwhelmed. As far as tenure is concerned, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Statement of Principles on Family Responsibilities <www.aaup.org> states specific recommendations for faculty members, of both genders, who are the “primary or coequal caregiver of newborn or newly adopted children,” in regard to stopping the tenure clock or extending the probationary period. Seriously seek out the feasibility of flexible work options if this is not an option or you would rather not interfere with the natural course of the tenure process. Above all, remember that it is possible to continue working while pregnant and meet the responsibilities of achieving tenure. The key is developing a time-management plan so that you can be productive while at work and keep yourself energized, stress-free and healthy.