I had my first kid in my second year of grad school. I was fairly unhappy with my program and had realized that my original career plan was not going to be a fit. I definitely got pregnant as a tiebreaker and figured if it made it impossible to continue, that wouldn't be the end of the world. I was fully funded though...I probably wouldn't use that strategy if I was accumulating debt or paying for my degree.

Having young kids and building a career definitely creates trade-offs and forces you to prioritize things in your career that are most important to you. I think it helped me to get over a very accomplishments-and-credentials focus and more into being fulfilled in my work, finding a team that I love working with and achieving sustainable work-life balance. But...fundamentally it's that way because it's harder. Doors do close.