In the context of higher education in India, there is a section of women scholars who are married and have kids, facing unique challenges that are often overlooked. However, higher education has been structured in such a manner that it sidelines the issues and problems that this specific group faces. This paper discusses the researcher's own journey as a doctoral student and mother at a university in India. Adopting the autoethnographic approach, the author discusses the various issues that she faced while pursuing her PhD research. The paper examines the various ways in which social, cultural, and ideological clashes hindered the timely completion of the author's doctoral research. This research aims to address the challenges that academic mothers face in the higher education context in India. The intersection of gender identity with motherhood presents a distinct set of challenges that are not yet adequately addressed in the higher education context. Autoethnography is deemed a suitable approach for this research, as the researcher needs to give voice to her challenges and discuss them within the broader context of societal and cultural ideas rooted in a patriarchal society. The paper ultimately discusses the various ways in which there can be significant improvement in the higher education experience of mother scholars through changes that can be introduced and implemented at both the societal and institutional levels.