Do you think having a baby hinders a female's career progression?

Having a baby doesn't hinder your career. Not having the right attitude, not taking care of Soldiers, and not doing your job hinder your Military career.

Hmm... I think the options to your original question are a little bit limiting. Does it hinder a female's career progression? It can. There are specific physical limitations we face when we become pregnant. We cannot attend certain schools, it essentially puts some things on hold, a self-imposed hold. These are the outcomes we are aware of when signing our name on the dotted line. Is there a stigma? Possibly, but strong leadership should be able to counter that. Peers sent to boards before them while pregnant? What kind of board? Month? Quarter? Competition? Promotion? If it's a competitive board with physical components then that makes sense. If it's a promotion board, that's supervisory discretion. That goes back to leadership, counseling, leadership potential, it's not a simple "timeframe" entitlement.

What I am about to type is not directed at the original question (which is a valid question! :) ), I'm speaking on personal experience and discussions I have had with my own female Soldiers in the past.

I have been in for 13 years. I have had two children within that service period, one during my 9th year of service and one during my 12th year.

I have always been a very career-focused Soldier. I enjoy my service and what I do. I have always ensured my training is up to date, my PT score is decent (not minimum), my work ethic is strong, my personal life has minimal issues, and I use initiative and action consistently allowing my supervisors to strongly rely on me. I've attended NCOES in a timely manner. When opportunities are afforded to me I take them, and never put things off for a later date.

When I became pregnant many things were placed on hold. There were schools I wanted to go to, but they were physical. There were competitions I wanted to participate in, but I had that profile. However, I was not flagged for anything before becoming pregnant so I focused on what I could do. That's an important thing for a pregnant Soldier to focus on - What it is they CAN do, because, back to that stigma piece, ...you will have enough people focused on what you can't. Your career will only be as "paused" as you let it.

Things you can do: Make sure you are healthy throughout your pregnancy. Eat right. Exercise (pregnant women CAN exercise and run, just make sure you discuss it with your provider). This will make postpartum recovery easier. Take college courses. Go to schools that DONT have physical requirements (I earned my instructor certification during one of these pregnancies and received my SQI 8 identifier). Complete military ed. Volunteer outside of work, document your hours. Maintain a strong work ethic. Do not use pregnancy as an excuse (this does not include genuine medical concerns).

Postpartum: don't look at postpartum PT as a punishment. It is an OPPORTUNITY :) NCO's in charge of this are there to help, they have 6 months (4 including maternity leave) to get you back into APFT shape. They have your career and best interest in mind. That being said, you can go to pt all day, but you have to put in the effort to get the return. If you are having issues, do not wait until your 190 day mark, when you have to take a pt test to speak up, let someone know early! If you need a nutrition consult, do it! You WILL be TIRED. New parents are ALWAYS TIRED! :) Work hard at finding a balance that works for you and your family. Remember what you are working towards. Make sure you prioritize and stay focused on your goals.

It will eventually all fall into place. If you are tracking, you will keep tracking. Do what you can. Control what you can control. Find a strong, successful female mentor who has done it before and can show you the ways. Surround yourself with successful like-minded people who will call you out when they see you start to sink and are willing to jump in and guide you back.

I don't believe a baby hinders career progression. I believe it has more to do with the individual wanting to either focus on their career or be a stay at home Mom. I mentioned this on a previous topic, but I've encountered pregnant Marines that would come into work every day with Super size extra value meals for every chow period and I've also encountered pregnant Marines who were still running during unit PT. Guess which one got back into standards. Another thing to consider is a lot of our job is physical and it's hard to stay ahead of the game if you get exempt from PT for pregnancy reasons.

For instance, martial arts classes require you to be full duty and participate in intense PT. Resident PME courses require you to be full duty and participate in PT.

So no, I don't believe the baby is what hinders a female's career. If she wants the career, she'll stay in peak shape throughout her pregnancy. She'll either get her physical PME done before she gets pregnant or as soon as she gets cleared for full duty so she can stay competitive.

If she doesn't care about her career, she already knows where the McDonald's drive-thru is located.