“To be a mother or to be a professional?”- In my opinion that shall not be a question to any woman. As a working mom  I often think about how motherhood has influenced my legal career  and my life as a whole. Inspired by the International Woman’s Day during this month I  ask mothers with legal profession to answer the question:

How the motherhood affects your legal career and how your legal career affects your motherhood?

Ana Maria Perez, Managing Partner at A.M.I.C.A. Int.nal Services Srl.:

When I knew the stork was visiting us…. It was like very exciting…I was longing for it and had expected it for a long time, so I felt as happy as never before, but also terrified at the same time… I was in a highly growing point of my career: what would I do with my professional commitments now? I have a full Agenda and I wondered how I could have managed the issues at pregnancy (regular medical check-ups affecting availability, or having the belly in the meetings and being almost sure of some sexist comments, as though I was ill) and then after giving birth… how would I survive dealing with contracts, market analyses and milk bottles and diapers at the same time?

I decided to be just myself and do the best of my motherhood experience, and in fact…. I was very lucky… I had no problems during pregnancy, so I could work till the last day and then, when Sofia was born, she was such a good baby I could keep working without even clients realising my personal situation had changed.

In any case, motherhood made me realise that the career is important, satisfactory, very challenging, but children give a “spicy tone” to life, a flavour and a color which one does not feel when thinking only on work issues.

In my experience, Sofia helped me understand some priorities, and distinguish between important, urgent, very urgent and secondary cases…. She made me a great gift, non only as affection, but also from a professional point of view…. Since she was born, I’ve had a timetable and a working life together with a personal life….

It is true that I have never had a traditional “maternity leave”… my career has not permitted it… but it’s also true that my child has grown up without nannies…. It was difficult at the very beginning to have external support (family support and employees covering some blanks) at the right time, but Sofia has always reacted very naturally to my work commitments: she has grown up understanding that there is a time to work and a time to be together….

Ana and Sofia love to play together

Being  a mum has just added something positive to my career…. Giving me a real point of reference and a line of priorities… when commitments lead me far from Sofia I’m so happy to think she’s there and is waiting for me with expecting and big blue eyes that I’m still more competitive just to give a sense to being far from home.

Motherhood changes life, it’s true: One has to adapt to a new situation and adjust the schedule of commitments, but it’s really rewarding: I cannot think of my career before my child was born….

I’m very happy I’m a working committed mum: any sacrifice has now a name and a face, and working after dinner, till late at night makes a sense….

I thank Sofia for this present of giving me a further life, and for letting me live it together with the existing one. Really priceless.

di Ana Maria Pérez  – 25 Marzo 2016

Fonte: Lady in Law