The best part of being in the military is la familia. This job brings people from all backgrounds together, whose strengths make for a diverse and dynamic team and who, like a family, take care of each other. But when the “work family” isn’t enough, and a career woman wants to start a family of her own, there are many things to consider. The most important thing in my mind, is balancing work responsibilities with family responsibilities. Therefore, I am learning that the importance of work/life balance is no more evident, than when you are on active duty in the military and expecting a child.

Part of finding the balance between career and personal goals requires mastery of the art of timing. This is especially important when you are on active duty. While most career woman will tell you that timing is critical for planning a family, in the military we also have to keep in mind that being pregnant precludes us from being eligible for certain jobs or performing certain types of duty. Each branch of the military has different duties that qualify as hazardous. I am in the U.S. Coast Guard, and am an attorney. While some might argue that being an attorney is always hazardous, in reality, I have chosen the perfect time, place, career and position to start a family, but that was not by accident.

I currently hold a staff position at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC. In my chosen branch of service and in my chosen profession, I am truly lucky that I have the ability to make these types of choices without jeopardizing my career the same way a woman who is stationed on a cutter (Coast Guard version of ship) or an aviator might. For all military women, hard choices have to be made between staying on active duty, selecting certain types of jobs, or being precluded from continuing with current jobs once becoming pregnant.

If deciding to start a family, we women must start planning years in advance to ensure that our career is timed appropriately. U.S. Coast Guard members change jobs every two, three or four years. I chose to start a family during a position that is four years in length, in a town with well respected military medical facilities and family nearby. My position is in an office, with regular hours and an easy commute to my home. All of these things factored into my choice to start a family now instead of earlier or later.

I have also found that my supervisors and co-workers have been very supportive during my pregnancy. I know I have a place in this organization and my temporary departure will not jeopardize my future here. But knowing that I have such a great support structure at work makes me strive to ensure that I won’t be leaving my supervisor in the lurch while I am away on maternity leave. An extra bonus that comes with timing my pregnancy at this time is that I will be on maternity leave during the holidays. Since there will be people away from the office at various times during the last two months of the year, I hope that my absence will be somewhat softened during the holiday festivities. But just in case, I am working hard to make sure that I have been proactive in preparing my work load to be covered while I am away.

But, timing would be nothing without the strong personal support from my command and the organizational support that the Coast Guard has provided. I know when I return that I can access a lactation room here at work. There is highly rated child care in the building. And above all, I know I have a great job and coworkers to return to in January.

My advice to any active duty woman contemplating having a child, or any woman for that matter: while you can’t always wait for everything to be perfect to start a family, timing is important, and having a supportive work environment can make all the difference. Being on active duty during this exciting new chapter of my life makes me feel hopeful about my future in this organization: an organization that is in itself familia, and will support me as I grow a familia of my own.