{"id":1865,"date":"2017-01-12T17:32:24","date_gmt":"2017-01-12T16:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/?p=1865"},"modified":"2017-01-13T16:28:40","modified_gmt":"2017-01-13T15:28:40","slug":"managing-babies-and-books-motherhood-in-the-mba-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/managing-babies-and-books-motherhood-in-the-mba-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Babies and Books: Motherhood in the MBA (Part I)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It must have been big news to find out you were pregnant during the MBA! What was your initial reaction? Knowing how intense the MBA program is, did you have any concerns?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BG<\/strong>: I was very happy when I found out I was pregnant because I wanted to live the experience of being a mother without the need to work, so I can spend more time with the baby. The timing was perfect because Gonzalo was born on the exact day we finished the first year<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

RP<\/strong>: The truth is that having a baby\u00a0during the MBA was in our plans. My husband and I knew we wanted to have kids, and we were already married for a year when I started the program. The real challenge for us is to\u00a0balance\u00a0family life and professional development<\/strong>,\u00a0and this is a\u00a0challenge that does not necessarily become easier after the MBA.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, MBA program leaves\u00a0sufficient\u00a0time for students to think about their career journeys, explore new fields, spend time with colleagues, discover a new city, even travel\u2026 why not start a family and enjoy that as well? For me, this turned out to be the perfect timing<\/strong>. Now, as a second year student, I got to enjoy one month of Christmas holidays with my family and not many mothers get that luxury!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure your partners and families must have been excited as well! How have they been supporting you during this process?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BG<\/strong>: My husband was just\u00a0as happy as me because he is also doing the MBA, so he could also spend more time with the baby! He supported me during the whole process and he was even able to come to the doctor with me 100% of the times so I felt that it was not only \u201cme\u201d but \u201cus\u201d during the whole pregnancy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

RP<\/strong>: The support of my husband, Claudio, was crucial. He changed\u00a0jobs to come to Barcelona and always has my back so that I can\u00a0devote time to my studies.\u00a0My family gave me full support as well, especially my mother\u00a0who is an\u00a0IESE full-time\u00a0MBA\u00a0alumnus\u00a0and also had her\u00a0first\u00a0child\u00a0during her\u00a0studies<\/strong>. This served as a first-hand example that doing an MBA and having a baby is completely possible. Her support and encouragement helped me\u00a0organize myself so that I could enjoy my maternity\u00a0and the MBA at the same time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How have the school, your classmates and professors been supporting you through the process?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BG<\/strong>: My classmates and professors helped me in everything I needed. My team mates were very accommodating\u00a0when I had doctor visits during the year. Professors allowed me to change exams so I could leave school two weeks before classes ended. The school also supported me by facilitating talks with my professors and provided me with everything that I needed during my pregnancy. My biggest challenge was figuring out my summer internship, <\/strong>which was required for me to graduate.\u00a0I ended up working on consulting project for a retail family business which was more flexible so it worked out well.<\/p>\n

RP<\/strong>: From the very first day I received all the support of my classmates<\/strong>. They\u00a0shared my happiness and they\u2019ve been very caring throughout the year. I believe they also felt like they were a part of the pregnancy as they watched my tummy grow day after day!\u00a0As we say now, baby Claudio is also from \u201cSection C\u201d.<\/p>\n

Blanca G\u00f3mez-Zamalloa Ati\u00e9nzar with her teammates during her pregnancy<\/p><\/div>\n

What was it like being pregnant during the MBA? How did your MBA life change?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BG<\/strong>: I did not find any difference between my life and the rest of the students due to being pregnant. I went to every class, did the same amount of work, went to every single event\u00a0and trip that I wanted to go for\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

RP<\/strong>: My MBA life didn\u2019t change at all.<\/strong> \u00a0The MBA didn’t require any physical effort that I couldn\u2019t do. Moreover, having to eat breakfast and leave early in the morning made morning sickness disappear quicker, and being so engaged with the courses in a way erased all\u00a0the discomfort\u00a0of\u00a0the last months. In fact, during pregnancy I had the most\u00a0wonderful\u00a0time at the MBA because I remember sitting in class and feeling special. Well, maybe there\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0one drawback: studying at the library \u2013\u00a0my belly didn\u2019t fit well under those\u00a0tables!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Well now that you both have healthy baby boys, how have you been adjusting to motherhood? How did you prepare yourself to juggle all your different responsibilities?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BG<\/strong>: As I said, I was very lucky with the timing so I started the second year with a 3 month-old baby. What my husband and I did was to take courses on different days so that one of us was always around to\u00a0take care of the baby. I am very happy with this schedule because I can be with the baby full time many of the days<\/strong> and when he sleeps I have time to prepare cases (same for my husband).<\/p>\n

RP<\/strong>: I wanted to maximize\u00a0my\u00a0time at home after giving birth to take care of the baby, so I\u00a0took\u00a0a few intensive courses before the due date\u00a0to lighten up my schedule after his birth.\u00a0Later on, I found some difficulties in finding the right balance<\/strong>.\u00a0I wanted to master the case preparation and discussions, the assignments\u2026 but my\u00a0days\u00a0had become unpredictable\u00a0and very hard to plan ahead.\u00a0I learned that\u00a0I couldn\u2019t\u00a0be the best student\u00a0and\u00a0the best mother at the same time….and that it didn\u2019t\u00a0matter.\u00a0I\u00a0am<\/em>\u00a0a mother, because I have a son and that’s a real wonder. And at school\u00a0I\u00a0try to\u00a0make the most out of it,\u00a0leaving aside perfection and\u00a0seeking for efficiency\u00a0in everything I do.<\/p>\n

\"Rocio

Rocio Pardo Martin, her husband and their baby, Claudio<\/p><\/div>\n

You two almost make it sound easy! What is the biggest challenge you have faced having a child during the MBA so far?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BG<\/strong>: Balancing the time<\/strong> to do more things that are not related to the baby or cases and classes. Our IESE social life has slowed down a little compared to last year but we are in love with our new baby-related activities so we feel very happy about it.<\/p>\n

RP<\/strong>: The biggest challenge without a doubt has been breastfeeding.\u00a0I am running all the time! My son was only 10 days old when I returned to classes<\/strong>. I had to juggle breastfeeding with class attendance for a couple of months. During this time, what I missed was chatting with\u00a0friends\u00a0after class\u00a0and staying at IESE for lunch\u00a0and to prepare cases. I had to literally fly\u00a0back home\u00a0where my baby was patiently waiting for me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Any words of advice to mothers or soon-to-be mothers planning to do their MBA?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BG<\/strong>: Do it! It is an amazing time to enjoy your baby and from my experience it is 100% compatible with the MBA<\/strong>. It is true that my case is a relatively easier one because we are both doing the MBA so we can coordinate, but in other cases you can always find a person to take care of the baby when you are at class!<\/p>\n

RP<\/strong>: For both women and men,\u00a0I think that\u00a0having\u00a0clear life priorities in place\u00a0is the\u00a0key<\/strong>. The MBA typically takes place in a stage of life\u00a0that is\u00a0very relevant, between 25-35 years old. In those years you define your future, professionally, but personally as well. Don\u2019t forget about your personal life. Define the personal life you want to have and make room for it in your plans. For mothers-to-be I would say:\u00a0it\u2019s always a\u00a0good time to have a child\u00a0and\u00a0at the same time\u00a0you are never\u00a0totally prepared for it, so don\u2019t wait to be!\u00a0What I guarantee (like any mother would)\u00a0is that always and anytime it\u2019s\u00a0worth it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thank you Blanca and Rocio for sharing your stories.\u00a0In the next post, we will feature\u00a0another student mother who brought\u00a0two young children along with her to Barcelona and find out how she manages her family life.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It must have been big news to find out you were pregnant during the MBA! What was your initial reaction? Knowing how intense the MBA program is, did you have any concerns? BG: I was very happy when I found out I was pregnant because I wanted to live the experience of being a mother… <\/p>\n

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