That was about 5 years ago. My
daughter Julieta is now a cheerful
kindergartner—and I am still doing
science. To some extent, my sister
was right. When Julieta was born,
I quickly realized that she was the
biggest adventure I had ever embarked on. But I was right, too. I
did not want to give up my research. So, once my maternity leave
was over, I had to figure out how
to enjoy my two passions, motherhood and science, and embrace the
pleasures and pains of their sometimes conflicting demands.
One of the biggest adjustments I
needed to make was my approach
to travel—though I didn’t realize
it right away. When my daughter
was a year old, I won a grant that
involved spending a month working in a lab in the Czech Republic.
I was very excited about the research I would be doing
there, but I did not want to be separated from Julieta
for that long, so I decided to bring her with me. I naïvely
thought this trip would be similar to past ones, when I
had traveled alone. This time, I planned for a babysitter
to cover my working hours and thought that would take
care of it.
But when I arrived, the babysitter turned out to be much
less available than I expected. I had traveled so far to conduct my research, but instead I was spending much of my
time taking care of my daughter. I was frustrated, and at
the same time, I felt guilty that I wanted to work instead of
be with my child. Soon, I broke down in front of my Czech
colleague, who graciously helped me work out an alternative babysitting solution.
Even with the child care worked out, I faced other chal-
lenges. When traveling, I was used to working without
paying attention to the clock. During this stay, however, I
Even so, after this experience I
knew that I needed to change the
way I travel for work. I now choose
my trips carefully and plan the
logistics far in advance. I travel
alone, for fewer days, less fre-
quently, and to locations closer to
home. I know that Julieta misses
me when I’m gone, and I miss her,
Sometimes I miss the freedom I once had to leave for a
trip at a moment’s notice. Yet Julieta adds happiness, di-
versity, and complexity to my life, which helps me be more
creative. I have learned to maximize the golden hours of
focused work and to plan ahead while also being flexible.
Having Julieta also forces me to stop working sometimes,
which helps me avoid burnout. And I have learned that I
can ask others for support, both in life and in work. So,
despite all the challenges, I am happy to be a mom and a
scientist, and I am enjoying the journey. ■
Paula de Tezanos Pinto is an investigator at Argentina’s
National Scientific and Technical Research Council and
the University of Buenos Aires. Send your career story to
SciCareerEditor@aaas.org. For more on life and careers,
visit sciencecareers.org.
“I had to figure out how
to enjoy my two passions,
motherhood and science.”
The journey of a scientist mother
I got pregnant at 38, not long after obtaining a permanent research position. Until that time, I had been a free and adventurous soul, working long hours and traveling frequently for my research on aquatic cyanobacteria. During the last 3 years of my Ph.D., I spent the summers in a lab in the United States, far from my home country of Argentina. I worked another full year in that U.S. lab during my postdoc. Along the way, I managed to find love, settle down, and start on the road to becoming a mother. My sister, who had a kid of her own, warned me that my priorities were
about to change. She said that, when my child was born, it was possible that I would want to quit
science and become a full-time mom. But I loved my work.
By Paula de Tezanos Pinto
I
L
LUST
R
ATI
O
N
:
R
O
B
E
R
T
N
E
U
B
EC
KE
R
