Why didn’t we all think of this sooner?

According to Good Morning America (GMA), Eve Humphrey—a Florida-based Ph.D. student with a sharp sense of humor and an even sharper dedication to her work—decided to celebrate the completion of her dissertation with a full maternity photoshoot. Yes, a maternity shoot… for her dissertation.

After six long, demanding years of academic “labor,” Humphrey finally “delivered” her scholarly baby, and anyone who has ever written a thesis or dissertation knows the comparison is hardly an exaggeration. The stress, the sleepless nights, the endless revisions—it’s a journey that tests patience, endurance, and identity in ways that feel surprisingly similar to parenthood. (Source: GMA)

Throughout her doctoral program, Humphrey joked that her dissertation was her baby. She experienced all the metaphorical “symptoms”: extreme sleep deprivation, stress-induced weight gain, countless hours hunched over a computer, and a daily cycle of nurturing an ever-needy project that demanded constant attention. And as she put it, “If it acts like a baby and requires attention like a baby, then it’s a baby—even if it’s a dissertation.” (Source: USA Today)

When she finally submitted the culmination of her work toward her Ph.D. in Biology, she felt compelled to mark the achievement in a memorable, joy-filled way.

“I’m not super celebratory, but I wanted to do something that was fun,” Humphrey told GMA. “Science can be very straightforward, and I wanted to commemorate what I did—to take a moment and be proud of myself.” (Source: GMA)

That’s when the idea for a maternity shoot was officially born. Her “newborn”? A meticulously crafted academic work titled Stress Response and Coloration as Mediators of Behavioral and Physiological Variation. With help from her friend and photographer Korie Mitchell, the Florida State University scholar transformed her vision into a whimsical celebration. The resulting images show Humphrey posing lovingly with her dissertation—placed in a highchair, highlighted beside its academic milestones, and cradled in her arms as if it were an infant. The photos radiated the charm and tenderness of a traditional maternity shoot, blending humor with deep personal meaning. (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)

Humphrey shared the images on Facebook with a heartfelt caption:
“Six years ago, I started on a journey and I didn’t know how hard it would be to finish. I gained weight, I experienced back pain, I cried a lot… was I pregnant? I had many restless nights and sacrificed time with family and friends to birth this crazy little baby of mine called a dissertation. So I would like to introduce you all to my creation—six years of pushing—and it gave me a new name. Hi, I’m Dr. Eve Humphrey, PhD.”

Within hours, her post took off. It was shared over 10,000 times, quickly going viral.

“I was like, ‘What the heck?’” she recalled. “My husband told me it had a ton of likes, and then it started being shared by people I didn’t even know.” Humphrey said she understands why so many people found the story relatable or simply hilarious. “I get it, because it’s the kind of thing I would crack up at and share too.” (Source: People Magazine)

Since earning her doctorate and officially becoming Dr. Eve Humphrey, she has continued her academic journey at Syracuse University, where she conducts discipline-based education research. She will return to Florida State University in December to proudly walk across the graduation stage—a ceremonial conclusion to a demanding but transformative chapter of her life. (Source: FSU News)

Congratulations, Dr. Humphrey! A dissertation baby is a celebration we’ll never forget.