Single mum Maria Pettersson has taken to flying her daughter from the to Sweden to get her to childcare, dropping her off with her mum who lives in Gothenburg. Maria, 38, says the sound and vibrations of the jet engine help get two-year-old Alice off to sleep.
Maria, who is a pilot, said: "Alice has probably been on more planes than most people have in their entire lifetime and luckily for me the jet engine sends her to sleep. It can be a struggle balancing motherhood around my job but I am lucky in the fact I have lots of childcare options.
"My mum has just retired so I fly Alice over to her house which is in Gothenburg, Sweden which is where I'm from - the longest commute to child care ever.
"Every time I've flown Alice over I've always been a passenger, never the pilot and she spends the whole journey fast asleep on my lap.
"I normally head over to mum's with Alice and stay over for a few days so Alice is settled and comfortable, we take our time, it's never rushed. I didn't plan on being a single mum but I've absolutely made this situation work with the people around me while co-parenting with Alice's dad.
"Although my mum does the majority of childcare, I’d like to add Alice’s father Tomas looks after Alice too and so do his family. I'm lucky as the airline I work for so don't do layovers, however, most days I have to leave the house at 4.30am and won't get in until 6pm.
"I will normally start at 6am and fly to somewhere like Dublin, then over to Alicante and back. Sometimes I do night shifts which means leaving at midnight while Alice is asleep.
"It's long and tiring but I'm lucky enough to have a babysitter who's willing to come over so early. We're really close to her now, Alice knows her well and loves her.
"After pregnancy I really wasn't sure how it would work around Alice. However, I think being a parent you're always struggle trying to find a way to make things work.
"People like to complain that it's difficult to organise around a shift pattern but I try my best to prepare in advance to make things easier.
"A couple of nights a week I will meal prep and freeze it for Alice so it's just there for the babysitter to grab. When I cook I do big batches and it helps me organise.
"And because of this, it means I don't have to cook every night!"
Maria's hectic schedule can mean long hours away from her daughter but she makes it work and wants to encourage other mothers to pursue their careers even around having a family. She added "Alice may not quite understand my job yet but she is fascinated with airplanes and when one goes above her she points and says 'it's mummy!'
"On social media I have a very spread out audience all over the world so I get a mixed reaction. Some people say you should be home with your kids, but I'm a single mother so I need to pay the bills!
"Other than that, the reaction is absolutely great with people rejoicing that I've shown that you can go back to work and don't have to give up your career. I can't wait to explain it to Alice once she's older, I want to make sure she knows she can manage a career, or a family, or whatever she desires - she can do it all!
"I've also spoken to younger women at work who were concerned about having a family around the job and it's made them realise they can do both. Family does not stop you from being a pilot, or any other career. I have amazing friends and family who have supported my decision throughout."
