There is no perfect moment for being pregnant - planning it after PhD if you are considering academic career forces you to take year off before postdoc. If you plan to wait to obtain some more permanent employment after PhD - postponing seems going on forever - after getting contract in industry its not going to be permanent contract but most probably first 6 month trial or if you are lucky a 1 year one, therefore your postponing goes further on.
So here I am on my third year of PhD, happily married and recently found out that i am pregnant. We were not planning it now, but when I ll be writing my thesis, but we are very happy it happened now:)
First step and the most challenging one was to tell the news to my boss, quite a big guy in organic chemistry who has never had postdoc neither PhD in my situation. Therefore I am there in front of his office scared of his reaction. It was first time during my PhD I have encountered him speechless - since it was his first time encountering this situation no wonder. And then of course telling me more times - bad planning, but in the end congratulating with a smile on his face.
Since I was feeling very well - I have decided just like my other friend organic chemist to keep working in the lab - but ofcourse more carefully and trying to avoid chemicals that I proven to harm baby (pyridine etc.). I dont need to waste a lot of solvents since we possess in our lab automatic column machines therefore it facilitates a lot a pregnant organic chemist to keep on.
More on safe working in the lab soon:)))
