Outtake: Mama Scholarship: Tackling the Motherlode

On Christmas Eve in 2018, I sat in a local coffee shop, grading final exams in two-hour chunks. That fall, I planned lessons for others to facilitate during my upcoming maternity leave. I started a typical day with an early morning faculty meeting, ended it with a night class, and went into labor only a few hours later. Abruptly, I was no longer one foot in and one foot out—no longer maintaining my typical, aggressive work ethic as an early career scholar, but tackling that steep learning curve that faces anyone transitioning into the role of mama. Long, sleepless weeks had passed, and grades were due—an altogether reasonable yet daunting deadline to meet. I had passed the little one off to a grandparent (shout out to that village it takes to raise a child!) and carefully metered out my time, so I could get out of the house, get some grading done, get back before I was needed, and then repeat. That afternoon, stepping one foot back into my professional world felt like an alien activity. I was uncertain how to juggle my way into a new normal with such demanding new responsibilities.