Throughout the majority of my twenties in the workforce, I perceived motherhood as a potential threat to my career. Like many women — precisely 86 percent of respondents in one of my own Instagram polls — I feared that having a child might endanger the professional foundation I had worked so hard to build.

Consequently, I chose to postpone it. Annually, I would have my fertility levels assessed. I was constantly anxious about if, when, and in what manner I could integrate motherhood into my life.

I underwent two abortions for the sake of my career, a topic I have explored in depth in my writings. I do not regret those decisions because, at that point, I never questioned why I felt it had to be a choice between career or baby. I was younger then, with time seemingly on my side.

Michelle at her “halfway” mark with baby number two. (Photo: Michelle Battersby / Instagram.)

Michelle at the 2022 Sydney launch of Sunroom, the app she co-founded with Lucy Mort (pictured). (Photo: Michelle Battersby / Instagram.)

So, a few years later, at the age of 32, when I found myself pregnant, I was filled with fear rather than joy. Running my own company at the time, I worried about whether investors would be disappointed, whether my team would perceive me as less dedicated, and if the company’s growth might stagnate.

That fear compelled me to take a pause. It was an opportunity to question why I viewed motherhood as a threat. I embarked on a journey of unlearning, deconstructing all the notions I had absorbed throughout my career that led me to see motherhood as a negative choice. Gradually, I began to confront each fear I had.

It wasn’t until recently — now that my son is 15 months old — that I realized, indeed, I had shown myself that motherhood and career