@heidenkind: “I think everyone can have “it all,” whatever that means to them, but not all at once and not in the way they expect. She should be teaching her students that if she wants to set a good example.”
So, so true.

@Venus Vaughn: “As a woman without kids, I think I’d be pissed if I had to suddenly share my office or workspace with someone else’s children every day. I wasn’t there for the conception, why do I have to be there for the hassles?”
LMAO! I’m a woman with kids and I would be pissed if I had to try to concentrate on work with screaming babies – my own or other people’s.

@Holly: I get annoyed when some women insist that we can/should do everything a man can. Not being up to working within hours of giving birth has nothing to do with gender inequality.

@Melissa Blue: “Because the ideal of “perfect” is still what’s held up as the only example. If you are not achieving it there is something wrong with you. There are enough messages like that already.”
Well said. I also find it ironic that most of the pressure put on women to live up to an ideal is created by other women.

@Keira Soleore: “Women’s lib has created a framework for how a man and a woman can be equals in the workplace (not that it’s completely happened or anything but the promise is there). However, society has so far been unable to help men and women to create a new equal once the children show up.”
Yes! While I can’t speak for how it is in other countries, it seems particularly difficult to combine children and career in Switzerland. But that’s a rant for a whole other post!

As for how easy it is to have a career and being a mother, it’s not easy and won’t ever be. The only thing you can do is give your job the attention when you are at work and your children when you are with them, because trying to do both at the same time is a recipe for disaster.

This was my first thought as well. While I understand (I think) the point she was trying to make, I believe the wording of the article leaves much to be desired. It’s lovely that Dr. Wright was in a position to bring her infant to work, and afforded the opportunity to breast feed in between meetings and etc, but that just isn’t realistic in most cases.

When I gave birth to my first child – which was a relatively easy labor and delivery – I was exhausted mentally and physically. I felt like I needed a full day just to catch up on my sleep (my daughter was born at 7:28 in the a.m., so I was up all night in labor). I felt the same after my son was born (again, another early morning birth). Despite being exhausted, if I had to I’m sure I *could* have gone to work a mere 7 hours later..but why would I want to? And what kind of long term health care issues might arrise from not taking the time to rest after going through something so traumatic?

When I read this to my husband he said, “That’s ridiculous. Your body needs time to recover after giving birth. It’s just another example of a woman trying to prove she’s just as good as a man, when there’s really no contest…men and women are just different, not better or worse.”

I think that says it all.

This to me is an extremely unrealistic expectation and takes women’s rights in a totally wrong direction. In fact, I see this as taking women’s health and long term well-being in a huge step backwards.

Women are different from men biologically, but NOT in mental capability. Pregnancy, labor, and delivery are extremely hard on the body. Whether natural or not, the enormous change takes a toll on the body and deplete it of every resource it needs to be healthy. If a woman is to be of use to her baby, her family, her work, and her community, she first has to recover her health. Put on your airplane low-pressure mask first, etc.

This need to jump back into work, just like a man would after his wife gave birth, is ridiculous! Being able to have a career on par with a man’s isn’t solely based on how fast you can get back to work after having had a baby.

To me, this woman is sending the message to her students that if you don’t jump back straightaway into work, your career will suffer. This is a completely wrong message that puts enormous pressure on the girls.

The point is that having a family is an integral part of a human being’s life, be they man or woman. So whether it takes reduced weekly hours, longer gap between birth and return to work, flexible hours, on-site daycare, etc. etc. is what the focus should be on. The point is to allow people to achieve a healthy balance between family and work, and that having a family does not have to negatively impact the careers of either parent. THAT is how one achieves equality. NOT by how fast you return to work after the birthing.

As a woman without kids, I think I’d be pissed if I had to suddenly share my office or workspace with someone else’s children every day. I wasn’t there for the conception, why do I have to be there for the hassles?

As a woman who thinks life is hard enough, I think it’s ridiculous to expect any woman to give the best of her time, energy and intellect to a job while her kid is on her hip. And, on the other side of that, I think it’s ridiculous to expect to raise a happy, loved, productive member of society if your focus is always on the job.

As a woman who lives in the real world, I think the job of mother and child-care provider (and yes, teacher) is hugely undervalued in our society and our thinking about it in this society needs a massive overhaul. But taking your newborn to work every day is not the solution.

I think everyone can have “it all,” whatever that means to them, but not all at once and not in the way they expect. She should be teaching her students that if she wants to set a good example.

Not because the labor or birth had any complications, or were even long, but because that child did. not. sleep. for two years. I’m not kidding either–I kept a log of the minutes he slept vs the hour long feedings and the screaming fits in between, because the pediatrician didn’t believe me.

He didn’t I sleep though he nursed; I didn’t sleep, period–though I “enjoyed” a long and unattended postpartum depression.

Now, with my second baby, I could have done it in a snap: she slept nine and a half hours right after being born, and from there it was six hours a night and three hours between feedings.

In the end, I think it’s a good thing to have the choice–I believe some women would do better (for themselves and the baby) going to work as soon as physically able, rather than staying home with a newborn.

On the other hand, Switzerland was the first nation to pass a law to allow same sex marriages by referendum, and abortion is (still) covered by the obligatory health insurance. It never ceases to amaze me how different mentalities are from country to country.

Maternity leave is much better in Germany (where I used to live) and Ireland (where I was born). German mothers get a year of paid maternity leave at 67% of their salaries, plus two further years unpaid, and their jobs are held open for them. Not a bad deal!