Written by Amy Todd, PhD English and American Studies.

I’m one year into my full-time PhD and (unexpectedly yet very happily) pregnant. Unfortunately, like many of us, my first thoughts go to – can we afford this? I am very grateful to have been awarded a stipend from the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) but what are the arrangements for a break in interruptions?

My first point of call was to ask to HUMs Doctoral Academy and funding team for more information. I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that my full stipend would be paid for the first 6 months of maternity leave, and then I was entitled to statutory maternity leave for months 6-12 if I wished to take it. Everyone got back to me very swiftly and my enquiries were all treated confidentially. Next – telling my supervisors.

My supervisors were congratulatory, relaxed and supportive. They did not consider a break in my studies to be something which would hold me or the research back, but they did want to discuss how this would affect the future timelines of my work.

I proposed a 6 month interruption, adjusted my timelines, and they supported my proposal – it was great to see the confidence my supervisors had in my planning and arrangements.

Amy studying (and happy to be photographed) during her pregnancy

The next 6 months were spent focusing on finishing a chapter on women’s social reproduction (haha) which I like to think my now one year-old son co-wrote. As I got heavier, I increasingly worked from home. Personally, when I am in the thick of referencing – this is a set-up that works for me. One of the incredible perks of the independence of PhD research is your time is your own, and you can work in which way suits you best. My supervisors and I have an agreed way of working where we usually meet once every 3 weeks or so, and I have usually prepared something written in that period, to contribute to one of my chapters. They feedback, I work on this, and then we meet again. I have been told this is quite a structured way of working compared to other people’s experiences, but it seems to work well for us all and makes sure I am always clear as to what I am working on.

Returning to PhD 

So… as you can imagine, (or already know), 6 months with a newborn baby goes very quickly! About 4 months in I could feel my anxiety rise as the thought of having to hit the ground running again with my research, alongside a 6-month-old baby, started to sink in. It is important to note here that material circumstances make a huge difference and parenting looks and feels different based on many factors. Although my partner and I didn’t have family that were in or close to Manchester,  we also had the privilege of choosing not to enrol our son Osian into childcare whilst we had the capacity of my flexible working arrangements and my partner’s working from home.

6 months was up and I met with my supervisors. We discussed what next steps felt best with my research and I started swiftly preparing my next chapter. My anxiety lessened as we agreed manageable deadlines, they took into account flexibility (like at times where Osian wasn’t well and I had less time), and we actively reflected on the timelines as we progressed to see what was still manageable. We discussed what next steps felt best with my research and I started swiftly preparing my next chapter. I didn’t feel like I needed a strict routine in order to undertake my work.

6 months post-PhD return

As Osian got older and naturally fell into regular naptimes, I worked. When we went to bed at night, I worked. On the weekend, he would go out with his dad for the day and I had the day to myself. In the mornings, we would cuddle up and watch the telly, play games on the floor, read some books and I would steal some time to do a bit of work here and there.

I often take Osian with me to lectures, events, reading groups. As a full-time PhD student, I am classed as a student and therefore not eligible for free childcare (as both parents need to be ‘working’). It is ironic because I have never worked harder in my life. As a household, we cannot afford private childcare and politically speaking, I would seek out alternatives if we get to the point where we can no longer provide full childcare of Osian (as is the reality of so many families balancing so much).  So, you may well see us out and about – I am often chasing him through the main library – come and say hello!

Osian with his mother’s PhD Literature

Nowadays, I am around two-thirds of the way through my research, finishing in April 2027. Osian is 13 months old(!!) and I am feeling really confident in both my research and my work/life balance.

Learn more about Amy’s PhD project in her 1 minute PhD: 

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