A stranger saved me...and my boobs

December 19, 2019 by Rachel Patzer in Parenting, Traveling, Work

I had the cab driver drop me off at the convention center and after paying FIFTY DOLLARS (!!) for that ride, I RAN into the mothers room at the conference. I immediately plugged in. Started pumping. And….very…little…milk. NOOOO! It was like the whole pump was on super low power and I just could not get it to have enough pressure. THE MEMBRANES WERE NOT THE PROBLEM. My pump was just broken. I was ALMOST in tears. My talk started in 10 minutes. I didn’t know what to do. I was 100% CERTAIN I would be leaking as I got up on stage to present to the room of 200+ people on the talk that I had hoped to have the morning to prepare for but clearly had other things to worry about.

Academic Mom Hacks

November 19, 2017 by Rachel Patzer in Parenting, Work

I frequently get questions from friends and colleagues "how do you do it all? Tell me how you do it!". Well, spoiler alert - I DO NOT DO IT ALL. Want to learn some quick and easy academic mom hacks to help make life just a tad easier? Read on! These are some hacks I have followed the last ~6 years or so since starting as a faculty member and achieving tenure, that have helped me achieve the facade of "doing it all".

"Don't Go Mama!"

November 01, 2017 by Rachel Patzer in Traveling, Work, Parenting

This month I definitely broke my "rules" of traveling and am in the midst of suffering the consequences. I've been to four cities in one month and I just plain feel like bad mom. Just before I left for my last trip, my two-year old son said "No mama, don't go mama!". My heart hurt. Where is my work/life balance?! I wanted to stay home, but it was too late to cancel the two talks I had to give at one of the biggest conferences in my field. And then I swore that from now on I was going to follow my travel "rules" and not let things get out of hand again.