In 2013, I worked as a quality engineer at Alstom.
I was pregnant at the time.
My home was in Sheikh Zayed and my work was in New Cairo.

I used to commute from Sheikh Zayed to New Cairo every day while pregnant.
I struggled a lot during the first trimester.
Imagine everything pregnant women have to go through during the first trimester, and then add to that the pressure of having to overcome that and be strong in order to excel at your job.

Everyone told me that, once I had my baby, I would prefer to stay at home rather than go to work.
But that’s not who I am.

I delivered my baby and took 6 months off.
After those 6 months were over, I used to drop off my baby at his grandmother’s in the morning and commute to New Cairo for work.
I was a breastfeeding mother at the time.
I used to sneak off to the bathroom to pump and then hide the bottles on my way out and put them in the fridge till I went home to feed my baby.
I also used to take him with me on business trips abroad.
Because I was still nursing him at the time.
My husband supported that.

Later on, my boy grew up and went to preschool.
I had to finish work as fast as possible in order to pick him up from preschool.
I always got him dressed and fed before getting dressed myself.
He always came first.
I don’t like when people assume that working mothers don’t take good care of their children.

Later on, my boy went to school.
And I became a regional quality manager at GE.
How, you may ask, did I manage to pick up my son from school at 3:30 pm when I finished work and got home at 5:30?
Well, I started looking for an after-school nursery one year in advance.
Everyone thought I was crazy.
But I needed to ensure that there was a safe place where my son could stay after school.
And because Allah was always by my side, I managed to find such a place.
Around that same time, I started pursuing a master’s degree in engineering.
Imagine having a challenging job that involves travelling to sites and staying away from home for usually 2 to 3 days.
Imagine pursuing a master’s degree, studying for exams, and having a 4-year-old child.
Imagine on top of all this, that you are pregnant.
Would you be able to manage?

I did.
I took my child out every free hour I had.
We had a lot of fun together.
We have a strong bond.
It’s not like people said it would be: that I wouldn’t be able to take care of him because I work.
My son’s well-behaved, he is good at school, and his teachers love him.

My pregnancy this time around is difficult because I’m juggling several things at the same time.
But I try to overcome everything I‘m feeling in order to be able to take care of him.
In 2018 I received a very good evaluation at work, and I passed my semester exams.
But there are still more challenges to overcome.

My 2019 exams will be in May.
And I am supposed to deliver my second baby sometime between May and June.
Will I be able to attend all my classes?
And will I be able to attend my exams when I’m 40 weeks pregnant?

There are many more stories to tell, but I need more time.