Wharton EMBA students juggle a lot between work and school, but many of them also start or grow families during the program. We talked to a few new moms about what it’s like to have a baby during the program and how they make it work. Here is what they said:
Kristin Kearney, WG’20
Currently
Senior Writer, Retirement Thought Leadership, Capital Group | American Funds
Based In
Los Angeles, CA
Wharton Campus
San Francisco
Prior Education
Columbia University, BA Comparative Literature and Society
Life Before Wharton
“I was working at my company, and wanted an MBA to expand my business knowledge and advance my career. I got married right before the program and we wanted to start a family. You can’t always time everything perfectly, but we knew that I wouldn’t be the first or last person to have a baby in this program. I appreciated the opportunity to start a family and go to Wharton!”
An Unexpected Delivery
“I was in the middle of a presentation in class when my water broke, but I wasn’t near my due date. I told my project team members, who kept me calm and ordered an Uber to go to the hospital. Min Haeberle, WG’20, who had recently had a baby, and two other classmates came with me and stayed until my husband arrived from Los Angeles. I ended up staying at the hospital in San Francisco on bedrest until our baby was born at 32 weeks.”
Being Pregnant During the Program
“When I was at the hospital, everyone at Wharton was very supportive. My professors recorded classes and classmates came to visit. They tutored me and made sure I didn’t fall behind. They also brought food, clothes, and baby supplies because my things were at home in LA. I had my extended Wharton family taking care of me and providing support in San Francisco.”
Life with a Newborn
“My husband took care of the baby on class weekends and brought him to campus in the beginning. During the week, I thought I would study when he napped, but it turned out that he’s not a good napper. I ended up doing my schoolwork at night after he went to sleep. I also took as many classes as possible when I was pregnant so that I could take a lighter load after the baby was born. I used the mother’s room at school to pump and to take quick naps when I was sleep-deprived.”
Advice for New Parents
“Talk to other parents in the program. There are a lot of students with kids, and they can share their experiences and give you advice. These are very smart people and they’ve made it work. For example, I’m doing a Global Modular Course in Israel, and my husband and son are coming along so we can make a longer trip out of it. A classmate from Tel Aviv is helping me plan the trip and other classmates are sharing advice on traveling with a baby. Everyone goes out of their way to help and support you in the program!”
“You also probably won’t be the only pregnant woman in your class. Three of us were pregnant at the same time in my class and that was a huge support network. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how it will work, but you’ll figure it out. You’ll become more efficient than you thought possible. It’s not easy, but it is doable.”
Yinan Yu, WG’20
Currently
Director, Hedge Accounting Advisory, Chatham Financial
Based In
Philadelphia
Wharton Campus
Philadelphia
Prior Education
Bucknell University, BS in Accounting
Life Before Wharton
“I wanted an MBA to broaden my knowledge and prepare to step into a bigger leadership role at my organization. I was married, but we didn’t yet have kids when I applied to the program. After being accepted to Wharton, but before starting the program, I became pregnant.”
Preparing for the Baby
“My husband and our families are very supportive. I have a one-hour commute to work, so I rented an apartment Mondays through Thursdays near my job and used the time I would have spent commuting to study. I wanted to focus on school as much as possible before the baby was born. After the baby was born, the plan was for my mom to move in with us for a year and for my in-laws to help out too.”
Having the Baby
“The baby was born at the end of the second semester. I missed one weekend of school because we had a longer break between semesters. Faculty were very supportive and recorded the classes that I missed. When I went back to school, my mom and husband took care of the baby on school weekends. I used my hotel room at school to pump, and my class manager made sure that I had a refrigerator in my hotel room to store breast milk. During the week, my mom took care of the baby so I could study.”
Supportive Classmates
“My learning team was very helpful. My due date was near finals weekend and they stepped up to help me with projects. They also hosted a baby shower for me. Two of the men on my team became dads during the program, so we all supported each other.”
Advice for New Parents
“You can do this, but it takes a village! Line up support at work, home, and school, and set your priorities. Also, ask for help when you need it. For example, I wanted to do a Global Modular Course in Argentina after the baby was born and bring my mother as a thank you for helping us with the baby. I asked my husband and in-laws to take care of the baby so I could have that experience. Having a baby in this program takes a lot of coordination, but it’s worth it.”
Min Haeberle, WG’20
Currently
Engineering Manager, Corporate Technology, TE Connectivity
Based In
Fremont, CA
Wharton Campus
San Francisco
Prior Education
Columbia University, PhD in Chemical Engineering
Life Before Wharton
“I was an engineering manager and led a corporate R&D team. I wanted to expand my business knowledge and learn how to integrate technology and business to take on a broader leadership role. I was married, but we didn’t have kids yet. I wasn’t sure if this was the right time to start a family, but you don’t always have control over when that happens. I applied to Wharton and decided to embrace both school and — if I became pregnant — having a baby.”
Being Pregnant in School
“I found out I was pregnant in Term 2. I was excited, but a little nervous about how we would manage everything. I was taking a quant-heavy course load, and I had to balance that with work and a lot of healthcare appointments. Things became much smoother in Term 3 when I had more energy. I enjoyed being in class while pregnant, especially when the baby kicked. It was like he was going to school with me.”
Having the Baby
“My son was born in the beginning of Term 4. I had a c-section and worried about missing class because of the recovery. Fortunately, I recovered quickly and returned to campus two weeks later. I did miss two weekends of school, but I was able to watch those recorded classes in the hospital.”
Life with a Newborn
“The first two months were overwhelming. We thought the baby would sleep a lot more. We didn’t expect that taking care of a newborn would be a full-time job! My family is in China and my husband’s family is in France, so they couldn’t come here to help us. We hired a nanny to help at night and during days when I’m at Wharton.”
Advice for New Parents
“This is doable, but make sure you get enough support. This is an amazing program and you will get through it with help from your support network as well as the Wharton community. My learning team members were very supportive, throwing me a baby shower and sharing notes during my maternity leave. And the other new moms in the program are very encouraging. They inspire and motivate me to go through this journey with them. Most importantly, the coming of my baby has transformed me into a much stronger person, both physically and mentally.”
— Meghan Laska
Posted: January 22, 2020
