Redefining Strength: A Mother’s Journey in Academia

On March 29, 2022, my life took a dramatic turn. In the early hours of the previous day, my waters broke, heralding a grueling 32-hour labor. It was an ordeal filled with pain, anxiety, and a life-threatening complication with the placenta. But from this harrowing experience, I emerged as a mother to Alya, the most beautiful and unique person I’ve ever seen. She became my world, and I became her everything—her food source, her security blanket, her shelter, and much more.

In the first six months, my entire focus was on ensuring Alya’s survival and comfort, causing me to almost lose touch with my pre-motherhood self.

About 7.5 months postpartum, I returned to work. Initially, working from home made the transition manageable, especially with my mother’s help, as we gradually introduced Alya to nursery life.

However, this transition was emotionally taxing. Coming from a society that often views nursery care with pity and being raised by a mother who sacrificed her career for me, I struggled with guilt and apprehension. In Turkey, my home country, it’s still customary for mothers and grandmothers to care for young children. Against this cultural backdrop, my decision to resume work and rely on nursery care was fraught with internal conflict.

As Alya started nursery full-time, my teaching responsibilities intensified. The past year has been a blur of medical appointments due to her frequent illnesses—an unfortunate side effect of nursery germs. Now at…