This is a topic I have soo many thoughts about!! ❤️
I've had 3 children during my career as a developer & an extended 7-year stint as a full-time mom, only working very part-time on dev projects during that time.
These problems are very real. And unfortunately the challenges compound if you have more babies. The 'pregnancy-brain' (a horrible mix of nutrient-drain, dehydration, sleep-deprivation, distraction with thoughts & worries, and the exhausting hyper-alertness you have when taking care of young children & babies) only compounds on itself over time.
And time outside of our rapidly changing industry is difficult.
The good news is that it isn't permenent. Your focus will return both with proper self-care (drink water, sleep, recuperate nutrients) and as your children grow less in need of hyper-vigilance (approx 2-3yrs old).
My focus is fully back, and I used my out of industry time to binge a ton of learning resources & tackle projects I'd never have done otherwise.
Not to mention my 3 amazing sons. Worth it x 1000!
We need to talk about this more, to normalise & raise awareness of women's issues in our industry. Creating life, has some side-effects on our professional lives - that is very OK & should come with support from our colleagues & employers.
Kim Arnett [she/her] leads the mobile team at Deque Systems, bringing expertise in iOS development and a strong focus on accessibility, user experience, and team dynamics.
When you get back to a regular full night's sleep it makes a dramatic difference! Each baby is different in that regard though!
My kids are forbidden from waking up before 6:30am. And we established them on a super early bedtime of 7:30pm... even my 5 & 7 year olds. Mostly for my & my husband's sanity. 😂
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This is a topic I have soo many thoughts about!! ❤️
I've had 3 children during my career as a developer & an extended 7-year stint as a full-time mom, only working very part-time on dev projects during that time.
These problems are very real. And unfortunately the challenges compound if you have more babies. The 'pregnancy-brain' (a horrible mix of nutrient-drain, dehydration, sleep-deprivation, distraction with thoughts & worries, and the exhausting hyper-alertness you have when taking care of young children & babies) only compounds on itself over time.
And time outside of our rapidly changing industry is difficult.
The good news is that it isn't permenent. Your focus will return both with proper self-care (drink water, sleep, recuperate nutrients) and as your children grow less in need of hyper-vigilance (approx 2-3yrs old).
My focus is fully back, and I used my out of industry time to binge a ton of learning resources & tackle projects I'd never have done otherwise.
Not to mention my 3 amazing sons. Worth it x 1000!
We need to talk about this more, to normalise & raise awareness of women's issues in our industry. Creating life, has some side-effects on our professional lives - that is very OK & should come with support from our colleagues & employers.
💙💚💙💚
glad to hear pregnancy brain retreats... it’s been 2 months and I’m still struggling. Lol. Thank you for sharing 😊
When you get back to a regular full night's sleep it makes a dramatic difference! Each baby is different in that regard though!
My kids are forbidden from waking up before 6:30am. And we established them on a super early bedtime of 7:30pm... even my 5 & 7 year olds. Mostly for my & my husband's sanity. 😂