pregnant in vet school

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raiderj

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anyone pregnant and in veterinary school? anyone in veterinary school w/an infant at home?
please share stories/advice/etc on this topic.
thanks!
 
I've been curious about this topic as well. I'll be about 3-4 years older than the average student upon matriculation and married so I've been wondering how people coped with this or if anyone knew of vet students who have. I've seen threads about pregnancy/kids in the MD/pre-med forums, some suggest that certain years are better than others for being pregnant. Any advice or words of wisdom? I know some students who had kids prior to starting school but was curious about having while in school since the biological clock does seem to be ticking😉
 
PdxYOSHI said:
curious about having while in school since the biological clock does seem to be ticking😉
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Me too! I want to get married and have babies and have a career and now that I'm in my late 20s and just now going to vet school I'm really wondering how I'm going to fit all of that in.
 
At Davis I met three people (one male first-year and two female applicants) who already had children before applying. Some of them were not in school yet but all were of reasonable daycare age (i.e. over a year - daycare for babies less than a year usually requires special licensing and is *really* expensive if offered at all).

I also heard of one second-year(?) student at Davis who is currently pregnant. Both the first-year with kids and the faculty member I asked about it said that the Davis administration is very accommodating, but also that they don't force you out of participation just because you're pregnant - you wear a respirator in lab (even some women who just think they might want to become pregnant soon wear one, just to be safe) and are otherwise allowed to do whatever you feel comfortable and safe doing. There seemed to be a general impression that classmates were willing to help out with providing notes when you just can't be there (e.g. morning sickness keeps you out of your first class, doctor's appointment you just can't schedule over lunch, etc.), though I'm sure everyone wants to minimize the extent to which they feel like a burden on their teammates.

One of my interviewers at Minnesota said she got pregnant pretty much immediately after being hired, and then got pregnant again pretty much immediately after returning from her first maternity leave. In both cases the dean and her faculty colleagues were nothing but supportive. She said she felt that students who got pregnant were treated with the same respect, encouragement, and support. I didn't actually talk with any students who had gone through it there, though.
 
Hi, i'm sonnyman's girlfriend (sorry dont have my own user name). I'm a third year at OSU and several people in my class had children before coming to school or became pregnant while in school. I met many people that had your same worries while in school. I think its very do-able, but its no easy task. First year was very taxing for many people in my class and one girl had a 6, 4, and 2 year old at home. They had moved from an area far away from the school and her husband couldn't come with her to school. Needless to say the poor girl slept on the couches in our lounge every lunch break.
First year there's also anatomy which means formaldehyde exposure several days a week, one girl in my class was required by the school to get a special mask to wear in the lab.
The last thing is even if you plan plan and plan some more, like two other girls I knew, doesn't mean the baby will come when it should. One of the two girls went into early labor from stress and had to be left back one year, the other had no problems and everything worked out perfectly for her. Its really up to you and what you know you can handle. I hope this is not too discouraging, just some other variables to consider. Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
thanks for the comments, everyone!
 
I have two boys, ages 4 and 20mos, and am hoping to go to Davis next year. With my youngest, I was taking O-Chem, Calculus & Biology when I became pregnant in the fall. It was a struggle to make it through the year, and I had to communicate with my doctors a lot (absolutely NO methylene chloride & limited formaldehyde, etc). I studied hard, but my memory retention suffers when I'm pregnant and I was just plain tired. Doesn't mean others won't be more successful than I was, but my C's in O-Chem definitely pulled my GPA and involved a lengthy explanation on my vet school application.

That said, I know that Davis is incredibly supportive of students who are either pregnant or parents. There are two fabulous on-campus daycares and the city of Davis offers subsidies for these normally expensive Montessori programs (with my two boys, I would have to pay $1600/mo but the subsidy covers at least half of this and has even gone up to 75% at times). Davis also has lactation pumps for breastfeeding mothers who wish to pump milk while away from their kids. These stations are all over campus, including the vet school buildings (Tupper, Gladys Valley, and Haring Halls).

Having been through what I have, I definitely would not advise getting pregnant while in vet school BUT, I love being a mom & I love my boys more than anything so if your baby-bearing years are limited and you have a lot of support from your SO and family, then go for it. Don't miss out on having kids if that's what you want. 😍
 
mom2jnc said:
I studied hard, but my memory retention suffers when I'm pregnant
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Interesting point. I believe that the cognitive effects of "estrogen poisoning" during pregnancy are pretty well documented. Also I've heard anecdotally from at least one other academic mom that she was scatterbrained and "just plain stupid" toward the end of her pregnancy. I'm sure it affects different people to different extents, but planning to be in your last trimester during finals week might be a bad choice, just in case...
 
Reviving this thread, any recent perspectives out there? As a non-trad this is something I'm considering, and I know there are some other non-trads out there.
 
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Oh, thanks! The title of that post made me miss it. At least it's linked to this post now for anyone else interested.
 
Maybe I'm just a jerk - but - sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too.
 
Robdude said:
Maybe I'm just a jerk - but - sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too.
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if you don't have information that pertains to the OP's question, why are you even responding? Children, families, etc aren't cake, this isn't about indulgent luxuries, but an aspect of life that in some way affects every human (since we all have or had a family.)

There isn't an optimum time to have a child. It is possible to have one while in school, but it is challenging and it depends on the individual and their resources and support system.
 
sumstorm said:
if you don't have information that pertains to the OP's question, why are you even responding? Children, families, etc aren't cake, this isn't about indulgent luxuries, but an aspect of life that in some way affects every human (since we all have or had a family.)

There isn't an optimum time to have a child. It is possible to have one while in school, but it is challenging and it depends on the individual and their resources and support system.
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👍

seriously.
 
Robdude said:
Maybe I'm just a jerk - but - sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too.
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Maybe you are. This is a topic that is very important and very serious to many people entering professional school. We're just fortunate enough that there are support systems and resources available to those who choose to pursue this path. Having a career and a family is not easy, but it has been proven over and over again that it can be done.
 
raiderj said:
anyone pregnant and in veterinary school? anyone in veterinary school w/an infant at home?
please share stories/advice/etc on this topic.
thanks!
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Not sure if you can get your hands on a copy online or not, but there was an article that appeared in the most recent Vet Gazette that was written by a 2nd year at UC Davis and it won an award.

She found out she was pregnant the first day of orientation and the article is all about being pregnant and with child in vet school. Check it out if you can.
 
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Rellaisabella said:
I am able to pump at lunch, or between some classes. There isn't really a private area to pump, only a curtained off area in the women's restroom...therefore everyone who walks in can hear the pump going and it can be humiliating when immature comments are said. (such as "it sounds like a milking parlor in here" followed by laughter) However, for the health of your child, you'll deal with pretty much any criticism. If I pump after anatomy I rinse the milk down the sink...just to be safe from the anatomy chemicals.
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oh hell... I heard vet school was like high school, but what is this? kindergarten?????? I'da punched someone in the nose (I know, how mature myself).
 
Wow, I am so sorry to hear that your classmates behaved so immaturely -- especially with respect to the pumping. It's too bad they don't have a separate area for pumping. I know at Davis, there is a special room designated for moms to pump that is in the locker room. It's very private and no stigma attached. In fact, many of us didn't realize what the room was until a classmate told us that's where they go to pump. 🙂

We have a classmate who just gave birth in February and from what I can tell everyone has been really happy and excited for her. We watched her grow from orientation in September all the way to term and when she gave birth there was a huge support there for her. When she came back within 2-3 days of giving birth everyone was so excited to see her and talk to her about the baby, etc. I guess it's not always a high-school mentality, but it can be...
 
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I woman with whom I have been taking pre-req classes with (she was looking to go to med school) gave birth last year. She missed very little time after the birth and was able to finish up the classes that quarter.

Unfortunately, in her case, try as she might, she could not manage the schedule (work and school) that she had previously. Her grades suffered and she withdrew from a number of classes over the next few quarters. It is one year later and she is trying once again to relaunch her academic endeavors.

I am impressed with those who have posted here and been able to manage the juggling act and commend them but wanting to do something does not always mean it is possible.

I think that those who are extremely organized and handle stress easily will probably do fine, but if classes already seem a challenge, then I wouldn't think adding one huge responsibility is going to work. I think it is really a case-by-case thing.

One last point, if at all possible I would at least wait until 2nd year when you have a better sense of how you are handling things. Too many changes at once can be really overwhelming.
 
Minnerbelle said:
oh hell... I heard vet school was like high school, but what is this? kindergarten?????? I'da punched someone in the nose (I know, how mature myself).
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Oh come on now... it is funny. I think some people tend to still be a bit sensitive and lose their sense of humour as they 'grow up'.

*shrug* our repro class is nothing but immature giggles and humour 90% of the time, most of it courtesy of our professor and other staff.
 
Nexx said:
Oh come on now... it is funny. I think some people tend to still be a bit sensitive and lose their sense of humour as they 'grow up'.

*shrug* our repro class is nothing but immature giggles and humour 90% of the time, most of it courtesy of our professor and other staff.
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I'm all for innocuous immature giggles, since that's probably me in a nutshell... but I think it's pretty callous when it comes at the expense of a singled out person's feelings. The OP stated that she felt humiliated (not in the "oh I fell down the stairs in front of everyone and I was mortified! hehe" kind of way), and I don't see how that's funny.
 
This was some great insight! As a married, 30 year old, third time applicant, I also feel like it is time to go forward with the other things that have been on hold during the last few years of school and applications. I think we would definitely try to "time" if possible for an early summer delivery, then you have a few months at home...but it is nice to know that options exist if things proceed on their own! Never wanted to be one who had eyebrows raised, or needed special assistance, etc, but at some point you have to live your life!
 
Nexx said:
Oh come on now... it is funny. I think some people tend to still be a bit sensitive and lose their sense of humour as they 'grow up'.

*shrug* our repro class is nothing but immature giggles and humour 90% of the time, most of it courtesy of our professor and other staff.
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I think we're a bit more laid back in Oz 😉
 
hi sumstorm! maybe you can help, but at NCSU, we can't be pregnant or nursing during anatomy lab, can we? i thought it wasn't allowed. assuming i'm correct, i'm sure there are other things/classes too. getting pregnant 1st year would mean graduating a year late.
 
IvyLynx said:
hi sumstorm! maybe you can help, but at NCSU, we can't be pregnant or nursing during anatomy lab, can we? i thought it wasn't allowed. assuming i'm correct, i'm sure there are other things/classes too. getting pregnant 1st year would mean graduating a year late.
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That's what our instructors said, however the school policy doesn't say that. And I talked to some other staff. As long as doctors OK it, you could be in anatomy Y1. If you want to be safer, you could wear a filtration pack like folks with allergies where in rodent/rabbit labs, but they aren't cheap. Since this is a consideration for me, I have been looking into the details...here is our policy:

http://cvm.ncsu.edu/academicaffairs/pregnant_policy.html

apparently our school is really supportive, from what the students ahead of us have told me. I was told the summer's between Y1-Y2 & Y2-Y3, but that students frequently have children during clinical rotations. we have a nursing room, but it is small and out of the way. The staff that I have talked to about pregnancy have all been upbeat; they say it is hard but that life doesn't wait for the right time, and that there isn't a right time. My understanding is that early practice/internships/residencies aren't any easier times, either. My advisor had her first during vet school and her second during residency (though you wouldn't know she had a child last year by the look at her.) I was also told that some student take an entire year off, but some have been back in school in less than 3 days. Support at home is the most important thing. At least, that was what I heard often. Of course, until my husband is living here...it isnt'a real possibility for us.
 
Sorry if this has been answered already, but I'll admit, feelin' a bit lazy & didn't want to read through the whole thing, & figured I'd offer what little input I have.

Our dean actually spoke to us fairly in depth about it, & his personal advice is that probably the best time to plan on having a baby IN vet school, would be to try & time it so baby is born right after the end of the 1st year. This way you have plenty of time to be home with the little one after birth over the summer & by the time the really intensive part (well, we all know it's ALL intensive) near 3rd & especially 4th year clinicals they're a little bit older.

Of course, a large part will depend on how much support you have at home & if you have extended family in the area for help & just overall mental support, but he did say he's had students be successful parents & students in pretty much all years & situations. Additionally, I'm sure it varies some by school, as some are more accommodating than others. At UT they seem to be very good about it, & have even allowed students to take a year off, or I believe he even mentioned a student taking somewhat "part time" classes, although I forget exact details as to how that would have worked. I'm in my first year, & have 2 mommas-to-be in my class at the moment, (we actually just had a baby shower for them this week!) and everyone has tried to be very accommodating. One is due right around finals, & the dean has already told her not to worry about it, & if she ends up missing any finals she can take care of stuff over summer.

As far as anatomy lab, at least here, it is not a problem, & our mom's just wore the crazy gas mask looking respirators sunstorm was talking about.

I think if it is something you really want, then you can make it happen, but that it definitely involves a lot of planning & a lot of sacrifices. Good luck with everything!
 
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I have read through this forum and found a number of people say to have kids early in vet school or before you start. However, my wife is a third year vet student and she is struggling with a decision it seems many people have being both a person that values their career and also a person that values family and wants to be a mother.

She is 26 finishing her 3rd year. After this semester she has the summer for internships then 2 semesters of rotations and then she graduates in May 2011. The problem we are having is when to have children. She worries that getting pregnant now could interfere with her graduating on time or finishing/passing her boards. She worries waiting till after she graduates to get pregnant could interfere with her ability to find a job soon out of vet school. Lastly, she does not like at all the idea of having to wait till she has graduated, found a job and worked a year before trying to get pregnant. It seems no matter what getting pregnant/having a baby will interfere with one of the important steps in being a vet. We are both ready to start a family but want to do it without ruining everything she has worked for her whole life.

Is there anyone that has gone their last year in school being pregnant or got pregnant shortly after graduating vet school? How did it interfere with your ability to graduate and find a job?
 
I was watching tv the other day and heard someone say, "there is no convenient time to have a baby." I think this is so true! I think she should definitely wait until she is out of school because she is so close to being done! What is so wrong with waiting another year to get a job? I know someone who had a part time vet job while she was pregnant (would just fill in for vets around town that were sick or on vacation.) I really believe there is not perfect time to have a baby, but whenever it does happen, it will all work out!
 
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luplodw said:
I was watching tv the other day and heard someone say, "there is no convenient time to have a baby." I think this is so true! I think she should definitely wait until she is out of school because she is so close to being done! What is so wrong with waiting another year to get a job? I know someone who had a part time vet job while she was pregnant (would just fill in for vets around town that were sick or on vacation.) I really believe there is not perfect time to have a baby, but whenever it does happen, it will all work out!
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Thanks luplodw. I guess the worry about waiting a year after she graduates is two things. We are not sure if finding a job a year after vet school is more difficult to do than someone that is a recent grad. Second... we plan on moving out of town right after she graduates to be closer to family and owning a home, so the sooner she has a job the easier it is to pay bills, pay off loans and our mortgage! We do have a really good supporting cast though, a lot of people will help us with open arms with a child which helps a lot.

luplodw, I like your part time vet job idea, but in todays economy I worry there are not going to be many part time positions like that available that we could depend on. I think with the job market being what it is she may have to take what she can get which is very likely a full time job.

There are cons to every scenario so it is kind of which is the least bad. Is being pregnant your last year of school really rough (as opposed to working while pregnant)? Do you risk not graduating by doing this? What if she were to get pregnant 5 months before she graduates? I do not know which parts are the wost parts of pregnancy in terms of getting through school. Thanks again for all input.
 
grbaseball-- many of the clinics in my area have part time veterinarians. 🙂 All the ones I know of are small animal, but it's possible there are some part time LA vets. The clinic I work at is small and new, and two vets started it. They are looking towards getting another vet soon, but we don't quite have the cash flow or full schedule to support a full time 3rd vet yet.
 
breenie said:
grbaseball-- many of the clinics in my area have part time veterinarians. 🙂 All the ones I know of are small animal, but it's possible there are some part time LA vets. The clinic I work at is small and new, and two vets started it. They are looking towards getting another vet soon, but we don't quite have the cash flow or full schedule to support a full time 3rd vet yet.
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Thanks breenie, that is encouraging to hear that there are part-time vet positions available. My wife is going to be small-animal so that helps. At the moment we are leaning toward trying to get pregnant in october/november right around when she takes her board tests. Then, being pregnant the last 5 months or so of school which is all clinical rotations. Then having the baby 4 months or so after graduation and then start looking for a job maybe 6-8 months after graduating. My only real worry I guess would be the potential to not graduate on time because that would really mess up a lot of things.

Has anyone else been pregnant during their clinical rotations? I would imagine it would be similar to being pregnant while having a job. Are the first 5 months harder to work through? Any advice is appreciated!
 
breenie said:
grbaseball-- many of the clinics in my area have part time veterinarians. 🙂 All the ones I know of are small animal, but it's possible there are some part time LA vets. The clinic I work at is small and new, and two vets started it. They are looking towards getting another vet soon, but we don't quite have the cash flow or full schedule to support a full time 3rd vet yet.
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One of the clinics i intern at is owned by the vet. She is the only vet for regular appointments and there is one other vet for only surgeries. She has a "sub" vet who comes in whenever she wants to take off for something. I spoke with the sub-vet and she said that she decided to have kids after school and all she does is sub a couple times a week for different vets. She said there are a lot of vets who want her instead of hiring another vet permanently. I don't know if this is common or just around where i live. Sounds like a nice option though
 
Remember that it takes a long time for a lot if not most people to get pregnant! Just keep that in mind that you may not be able to get pregnant exactly at the time you want
 
Personally I think I would try to have the baby while in school. School is a little more flexible than trying to start your career...if she needs to take time off she can...I know you say that her graduating a year later would really ruin some of your plans, but I think personally its better to delay graduation a year than to find a job and then get pregnant right away, but that is just me.

I have never been pregnant, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt, but really, I think every woman handles pregnancy differently. Some get morning sickness the first few months all the time. Some never get sick. Some women are really exhausted and need to slow down, others feel perfectly fine. Some women have their baby and need extra down time while others can be back at work almost immediately, and some just can't bear to leave their new child so soon. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing how it will be for your wife during/after pregnancy, especially since this will be her first.

Luckily, your wife is young so I think you both need to decide...is this something you want RIGHT NOW?! or can you wait and establish yourselves a bit? if right now is the time, it may not be so bad to take a year off. who knows, an extra year might make all the difference with the economy and finding jobs may be easier.
 
I believe there would be some issues if your wife was pregnant during rotations due to health concerns during radiology and some others that she may not be able to participate in... Maybe someone else can comment on this as I am still a lowly undergrad and I don't know every rotation to be completed 🙂
 
To know how it would affect clinics, she will need to discuss this with someone within her school.

I don't know that delaying starting the career for a year is a real problem, but my concern would be the steep learning curve of practice; translating education to practice can be challenging, and delaying that may create knowledge gaps (ie not solidifying knowledge into practice while knowledge is 'recent'.) However, I do know several vets who arranged to work emergency or critical care 3-4 nights a week for a good income, and arranged it in such a way that the child had care with a spouse or family member, while the spouse worked a typical day job.

if you search pregnant/pregnancy on this board, you may find more individual's experiences. Because of my interest in exotics, I have pretty much ruled out pregnancy during clinical rotations.
 
luplodw said:
Remember that it takes a long time for a lot if not most people to get pregnant! Just keep that in mind that you may not be able to get pregnant exactly at the time you want
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Without trying to stir the pot, this isn't necessarily true. A lot of OBs will talk about how their clients go off of birth control and "try" the following month only to find out a month later that they're pregnant!

Typically they talk about a 1 month flush period for all the hormones from BCP to get out of your system, but 80% of people who have unprotected sex will get pregnant within a year. So "most people" do not take a long time, we just tend to hear more about the ones who do!
 
Tobysgirl81 said:
Without trying to stir the pot, this isn't necessarily true. A lot of OBs will talk about how their clients go off of birth control and "try" the following month only to find out a month later that they're pregnant!

Typically they talk about a 1 month flush period for all the hormones from BCP to get out of your system, but 80% of people who have unprotected sex will get pregnant within a year. So "most people" do not take a long time, we just tend to hear more about the ones who do!
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Sorry I wasn't clear but he seems to be wanting his wife to get pregnant at a very specific time...not within a year. In his timeline, a year is a long time
 
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Chapelle said:
Why? What's the connection there?
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The more species of animals, the more potential for unexpected/unknown exposures, but it also means I will be traveling alot and at times be in suboptimal conditions (no toilets/showers). It's one thing to have long stressful hours with facilities available, another if your rotations will include going afield or out to sea where you may put others at risk if your performance isn't optimal. I am sure someone would/could, but not me! 😀
 
ckd816 said:
I believe there would be some issues if your wife was pregnant during rotations due to health concerns during radiology and some others that she may not be able to participate in... Maybe someone else can comment on this as I am still a lowly undergrad and I don't know every rotation to be completed 🙂
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In addition to radiology, your wife might want to carefully plan her anesthesia and surgical rotations. If I'm remembering correctly from anesthesia class, Isoflourane exposure should be limited/avoided during the first trimester if possible. Also, I would think it would be difficult/scary to work with horses when you're in your third trimester (harder to get out of the way of a kicking horse), but I'm a small animal person and horses scare me a little anyway 😀.
If your wife is anything like me, she's probably already thought of all of this. It seems to me that most schools are understanding of this issue and if your wife makes it a point to mention that she is planning on trying to get pregnant during her clinical rotations, they will likely make an effort (to the best of their abilities, no guarantees) to get her in her rotations at the right time.
A good place for her to go look for advice would be VIN. There are plenty of threads in the "life away from the office" message board on conception, pregnancy, breast feeding etc while practicing veterinary medicine. It's possible that some of the vets on there had kids during clinical rotations and could offer advice. This would probably be better than us speculating 🙂.
 
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