The Reality of Balancing Pregnancy in Developer Relations

The author, an undocumented immigrant, has always dreamed of a successful career and a traditional family life. However, as she climbed the tech industry ladder, she noticed a lack of mothers in technical leadership roles, leading her to question the compatibility of motherhood and a high-powered tech career. Despite this, she decided to pursue motherhood and shares her experiences balancing work and pregnancy. Every trimester has been exhausting, especially the first one, which affected her performance slightly. Her priorities shifted, including more time for doctor's appointments, nursery preparations, and learning about pregnancy and childbirth. Her relationship with her spouse also changed as he took on more household responsibilities. Despite the challenges, she accomplished a lot, including speaking at conferences, leading a hackathon team, and maintaining her workout routine. She believes that her remote job with flexible hours and unlimited PTO helped her balance work and pregnancy, but she would consider arranging things differently if she had to do it again. She hopes that sharing her experiences will help others prepare for their own journeys.