Hitting the residency trail with baby in tow

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MichiMO

MichiMO

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So, in three weeks I am heading across the country to start interviews. Since I am BF and will be gone 2.5 weeks, I have to bring my three month old daughter. I was just wondering if any one else was going to be attempting the same thing or had attempted it and had any advice.
I have arranged for family to come in on shifts to help out, but I am still very nervous. For one, I have an interview the day after I fly out and don't know how to save enough pumped milk for that day. With the new liquid restrictions on flights, it certainly makes life difficult.
Then there is also the lovely issue of finding time to pump during the interview day and if there was any hope of not advertising the family status to programs, it definitly goes out the window with the pump requirement.
Oh, the joys of motherhood. Well, not motherhood...the joys of trying to have a life and be a doctor at the same time!
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The liquid restrictions don't apply to milk for the tiny tots. You should be safe on that one. So far, there have been down times on my interviews when other students are being interviewed so hopefully you can scan the itinerary for the day and figure out a good time to work in pumping, though that would definitely be a difficult one. Best wishes!
 
Wow, God Bless you for having the courage to get on with your personal and professional life at the same time. I am no expert, but I think it's going to be really tough to do-- are you sure that you'll have someone there to take the baby during tours and interviews? If not, and you have a trusted family member to stay with the baby at home while you travel, that's what I would recommend. You can pump in advance, and I know from my peds rotation that breast milk freezes beautifully.
 
I am in a similar situation. I haven't started the interviews yet, but will have baby in tow when I do. I was debating if I should contact the coordinator before hand so he/she could maybe schedule in some downtime between interviews if that was going to be an option for some anyhow. The other thing I was thinking is pumping during lunch - just the first 15 minutes when residents are slowly coming in (if I can wait that long between feeding/pumping).
 
Seriously, WOW to both of you about to go on interviews with baby. From the bottom of my heart good luck to you. I would contact the La Leche League(sp?) and get good info on "going back to work and bf, etc". You may get some tips you hadn't thought of. I hope you have a great experience on the interview trail and that you find many programs that are laid back and help you out. We have 5 kids and to think you have to give all that up to become a doctor is absurd. Watch your stress level and try to enjoy every minute with your babies...you've heard this a million times but they really do grow up soooo fast.
 
Thanks for the advise everyone. Has anyone checked frozen milk as part of their luggage, because from eveything I have read on the aviation sites, I can only carry on an amount of milk required for the flight. So, I couldn't carry on enough milk to cover me for the following day when I interview. I am thinking if I just check a cooler with a lot of ice packs I can keep it cold enough for the five hour trip.
As for pumping the day of the interview, I think pumping at lunch is definitly feasible and I have considered also contacting the programs to have them work in some pumping time. I had my first interview locally last week and I was really lucky and had an hour break between interviews and lunch. They also had a lovely pumping room at that hospital. I don't know that I will get that lucky again though :)
 
If the milk is frozen...does homeland security count it as a liquid??? I'm going to ask a friend of mine who's hubby works for TSA - I'll get back to ya!
 
I cannot say I've been there/ done that, but I have been pumping for the last 8 months and I am currently a chief resident, so I get to see the interviewing process from the other end.
Few ideas:

Check if the hospital you are interviewing has a post-partum ward - there might be a lactation consultant and they might have a lactation room with a pump for you to use (and maybe sterile single-use pump parts, so you won't have to worry about cleaning etc.) Ask her also about a fridge to store your milk.

There definitely will be some down time during the interview day - I would ask the program coordinator when is the best time for you to fit in a 10-min pumping session (ask 1-2 days in advance, matter-of-factly, don't make it sound like a big deal). You have to anticipate that this piece of information might get to the program director - in my program the PD always asks the PC what she thinks of the personalities of the applicants.

Depending of the lenght of the interview day, you might be OK with 1-2 sessions of pumping. When my baby was 3 months old, I was pumping Q2-3 hours, now I am down to Q4-5 hours, but I was occasionally able to go 6-8 hours without pumping without it hurting my supply.

Good luck!
 
One more thing:
There was a thread on mommd.com a while ago about this, and I would also check kellymom.com for some useful tips.

Best wishes!
 
Still checking on the frozen milk. Will you be moving around a bunch, or will it be one destination? You can mail the frozen milk in a special package with dry ice - it's expensive, but it seems more reliable than the checked luggage at the airport. My daughter was open to powdered formula when I ran short on breastmilk also - so that may be an option too.
 
I didn't think of the whole sending thing. That could be an option. I'll have to look into that. I know I could always introduce formula too, I have been trying to avoid it, but I guess it is not that big a deal. The benifit of BF is not that there is something wrong with formula, but that breast milk is just better right. Might make things a little less stressful.
 
My son is 6 months old and I am still BF. I had two interviews last week and my husband was able to come with me for both of them. We drove so it was a lot easier to bring some frozen milk with us. As far as pumping during the day goes, I pumped once each day, and made sure he ate right before I left. The days went from about 7 to 2, I pumped at around 11 am both days. I felt a little full by the end of the day of course but it was doable. I just asked the person running the program day where I could go to pump. Each time I was given an office with a door that locked. Do you have a Pump-In-Style? My ice packs kept everything cold during the day and then we used the refrigerator in the hotel room overnight.

Congratulations on making it this far BF, way to go Momma!
 
tiredmom said:
Still checking on the frozen milk. Will you be moving around a bunch, or will it be one destination? You can mail the frozen milk in a special package with dry ice - it's expensive, but it seems more reliable than the checked luggage at the airport. My daughter was open to powdered formula when I ran short on breastmilk also - so that may be an option too.
Click to expand...

Ok, so I decided to look this up on the TSA website and they say:

To ensure the health and welfare of certain air travelers there are no limits on the amounts of the following liquids, gels and aerosols you may carry through a security checkpoint:

* Baby formula and breast milk if a baby or small child is traveling;
* All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes;
* Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition;
* Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs;
* Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids; and,
* Gels or frozen liquids needed to cool disability or medically related items used by persons with disabilities or medical conditions.
http://www.tsa.gov/311/311-carry-ons.shtm

So it looks like one won't have to try formula if they don't want! :thumbup:
 
Pinesinger said:
My son is 6 months old and I am still BF. I had two interviews last week and my husband was able to come with me for both of them. We drove so it was a lot easier to bring some frozen milk with us. As far as pumping during the day goes, I pumped once each day, and made sure he ate right before I left. The days went from about 7 to 2, I pumped at around 11 am both days. I felt a little full by the end of the day of course but it was doable. I just asked the person running the program day where I could go to pump. Each time I was given an office with a door that locked. Do you have a Pump-In-Style? My ice packs kept everything cold during the day and then we used the refrigerator in the hotel room overnight.

Congratulations on making it this far BF, way to go Momma!
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It's so great and encouraging to hear success stories! So it sounds like you just asked the day of your interview. I was debating if I would call a few days before to see if they could schedule some time in or know ahead of time that I'd miss a bit of lunch. Also, I have heard it might be easier to just bring a manual pump although I do have a Pump In Style. Any thoughts?
 
medpedshopeful said:
It's so great and encouraging to hear success stories! So it sounds like you just asked the day of your interview. I was debating if I would call a few days before to see if they could schedule some time in or know ahead of time that I'd miss a bit of lunch. Also, I have heard it might be easier to just bring a manual pump although I do have a Pump In Style. Any thoughts?
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I don't know if you need to call ahead to let them know, the places I have gone have been more than happy to accomodate me on the day of the interview. Plus, I almost didn't want to alert them ahead of time to gauge their reaction. It was nice that both places I interviewed were very cool about it, it made me feel more confident about their receptiveness to breastfeeding and being a mom in general in their program.

I had thought about a manual pump, but it just takes me a loooong time to get enough with a manual pump to make any difference. I brought my PIS because that is what I'm used to using on a daily basis anyways, and that way I had my ice-packs to keep everything cold. Many people recognize the PIS bag anyways, so asking to leave to pump isn't such a surprise! Good luck!
 
Thanks so much for that info medpedshopeful! I think I will just carry my little frozen milk in a cooler and print off that sheet from TSA in case anyone tries to mess with me :)

I have the Ameda, which is also I think pretty recognizable as a pumping bag, so it should eliminate the surprise factor. I plan on just sticking with my regular pump because I don't want anything to make it harder for me that day and going with what you are used to is better.

From my other interviews, I don't think it is a bad thing to call ahead because a lot of times you have breaks in between interviews and if they could schedule one of those at a convienent pumping time, it would definitly make life easier.

I had my an interview this weekend a few hours from my house where my husband and baby travelled with me. We brought two bottles for the following day, as it was a short interview, and I figured I could pump another one the morning of. Well, we defrosted one of the bottles and something funky had happened to the milk making it smell terrible and when I woke up, don't know if it was stress or what, there was nothing to pump! So, my husband had to bring the baby to me during lunch to feed. Pretty funny.
Luckily it was the program where I had done my sub-i nine months pregnant and they were all completely happy to see the baby and it was not a big deal at all, but definilty teaches the lesson of having more vs. less milk on hand!
 
I just got back from the interview adventure so I thought I would share some experiences for those who might be undertaking the same thing.
For the breast milk, I just froze it and put it in my little cooler with ice packs checked...it made it just fine :)
Baby did great with all the travelling, but it was definitly exhausting and without fail, if I had an interview the next day, she was up all night. I ended up having to cancel two interviews just because they were going to be too far and I didn't have people who could watch her for that many hours, but I wasn't too excited about those programs anyway.

I also was amazed at a lot of negative attitudes I got about having a child and having to pump during the interview. One interviewer literally spent the entire interview ranting at me about how I would hadle the "emotional" aspects of having a child during residency. It took everything I had not to just walk out of there.
 
Congrats...hope you get a spot you love. We have 5 kids...can you imagine an interviewer giving my husband a hard time?? I'm pretty sure you understand it isn't going to be easy. You should of said, "I think you are right I'll just return the baby tomorrow! I will Live, EAT, DIE Medicine!!"

Good Luck.
 
I am a male...but I just want to say "wow". I have great respect and admiration for all those moms (or single dads) who are taking care of their kids while being medstudents and interviewing.

Wish you all the best!:thumbup:
 
MichiMO said:
...
I also was amazed at a lot of negative attitudes I got about having a child and having to pump during the interview. One interviewer literally spent the entire interview ranting at me about how I would hadle the "emotional" aspects of having a child during residency. It took everything I had not to just walk out of there.
Click to expand...

Glad your travels (and travails) worked out. Probably one good thing about your adventure is that it "forced the issue"--i.e. exposed institutional attitudes that you wouldn't want to be a part of anyway, and I hope, helped you identify a place or two where they might be more supportive of a resident trying to balance work and family!
 
Did we interview at the same place? I am not BF, but have a young son and took time off with him after graduation. I also faced the Inquisition from one interviewer who questioned on and on about my motivations and emotions as a mother. It is really none of her business. Women have children and careers, and deal with it in their own ways, as do people with sick parents, crappy marriages, poor health, and other things that may interfere with residency performance, but likely won't. I thought they aren't supposed to cross examine personal issues like family, health, etc. Oh well, just another place that won't get ranked by me.

Other than that, I am glad you survived the trip, and baby too!
 
MichiMO said:
So, in three weeks I am heading across the country to start interviews. Since I am BF and will be gone 2.5 weeks, I have to bring my three month old daughter. I was just wondering if any one else was going to be attempting the same thing or had attempted it and had any advice.
I have arranged for family to come in on shifts to help out, but I am still very nervous. For one, I have an interview the day after I fly out and don't know how to save enough pumped milk for that day. With the new liquid restrictions on flights, it certainly makes life difficult.
Then there is also the lovely issue of finding time to pump during the interview day and if there was any hope of not advertising the family status to programs, it definitly goes out the window with the pump requirement.
Oh, the joys of motherhood. Well, not motherhood...the joys of trying to have a life and be a doctor at the same time!
Click to expand...


well this response is untimely and probably not helpfull, but for what it's worth...you've got balls (metaphorically, unless...well...). I'd hire you on the spot.
 
just wondering if anyone else is going through this or has gone through this. i am applying for derm so will likely have to interview across the country. not planning on bringing baby to the interviews but will need to pump. i'm very concerned about this, because derm is so competitive and know i may face negative views about this. all i really need is a place to pump and a 15 minute break during the day to do this (lunchtime would be good). don't want to risk not matching but think it would be really lame to have to stop breastfeeding for this since it is best for the baby. i need to pump otherwise i will leak :scared: so it is not really an option to not pump. do you think it is ok to ask the program coordinator in advance? i'm thinking no one else would really have to know...
 
How old will your babe be? How often do you think you will need to pump? Are you concerned about supply at all or is this just to keep from leaking? Are you ok with pump-and-dump? Keep in mind that, as baby gets older, you will probably leak less.

I normally would advocate for full disclosure, but you can't take that change with derm. So my advice would be as follows:
- take plenty of breast pads, consider a change of clothes if the unthinkable happens.
- take your electric pump and pump all that you got right before interview. Dump milk, leave pump in car.
- take to interview one or better, TWO manual pumps (small, discrete, no assembly required, no power outlet needed)
- every time you get a break, pump like a mad woman in the bathroom and dump your milk. You don't have to pump all the way like you normally do. Just enough to prevent leaking.
- when you're done, RUN to your car and pump all you can. I guess you can save that milk if you're going straight back to your hotel or have access to a fridge/freezer.
- be prepared for some very sore breasts! and make sure your top is not too tight because you will be quite busty by the end of the day!

If you have a lot of interview (and I wish you nothing less!) you might run into supply issues, but overall if your baby is more than a couple of months old, your supply should bounce back from a day of little pumping once a week.

Good luck to you!
 
MichiMO said:
So, in three weeks I am heading across the country to start interviews. Since I am BF and will be gone 2.5 weeks, I have to bring my three month old daughter. I was just wondering if any one else was going to be attempting the same thing or had attempted it and had any advice.
I have arranged for family to come in on shifts to help out, but I am still very nervous. For one, I have an interview the day after I fly out and don't know how to save enough pumped milk for that day. With the new liquid restrictions on flights, it certainly makes life difficult.
Then there is also the lovely issue of finding time to pump during the interview day and if there was any hope of not advertising the family status to programs, it definitly goes out the window with the pump requirement.
Oh, the joys of motherhood. Well, not motherhood...the joys of trying to have a life and be a doctor at the same time!
Click to expand...

I think this is where it would pay to tell the coordinators of the programs you'll be visiting and see if they can arrange your interview day so you have time to pump. It's never an issue when I know in advance and can work it into the schedule unobtrusively.
 
Baby Einstein said:
How old will your babe be? How often do you think you will need to pump? Are you concerned about supply at all or is this just to keep from leaking? Are you ok with pump-and-dump? Keep in mind that, as baby gets older, you will probably leak less.

I normally would advocate for full disclosure, but you can't take that change with derm. So my advice would be as follows:
- take plenty of breast pads, consider a change of clothes if the unthinkable happens.
- take your electric pump and pump all that you got right before interview. Dump milk, leave pump in car.
- take to interview one or better, TWO manual pumps (small, discrete, no assembly required, no power outlet needed)
- every time you get a break, pump like a mad woman in the bathroom and dump your milk. You don't have to pump all the way like you normally do. Just enough to prevent leaking.
- when you're done, RUN to your car and pump all you can. I guess you can save that milk if you're going straight back to your hotel or have access to a fridge/freezer.
- be prepared for some very sore breasts! and make sure your top is not too tight because you will be quite busty by the end of the day!

If you have a lot of interview (and I wish you nothing less!) you might run into supply issues, but overall if your baby is more than a couple of months old, your supply should bounce back from a day of little pumping once a week.

Good luck to you!
Click to expand...

Is it just me or I find it extremely amusing that this advice is coming from 'Baby Einstein' ;)?

P.S. I dont even know how I wandered into this thread, but I'm glad I did...I will actually have a ready reference for my wife eventually (a few years along the way) :)
 
Baby Einstein said:
How old will your babe be? How often do you think you will need to pump? Are you concerned about supply at all or is this just to keep from leaking? Are you ok with pump-and-dump? Keep in mind that, as baby gets older, you will probably leak less.

I normally would advocate for full disclosure, but you can't take that change with derm. So my advice would be as follows:
- take plenty of breast pads, consider a change of clothes if the unthinkable happens.
- take your electric pump and pump all that you got right before interview. Dump milk, leave pump in car.
- take to interview one or better, TWO manual pumps (small, discrete, no assembly required, no power outlet needed)
- every time you get a break, pump like a mad woman in the bathroom and dump your milk. You don't have to pump all the way like you normally do. Just enough to prevent leaking.
- when you're done, RUN to your car and pump all you can. I guess you can save that milk if you're going straight back to your hotel or have access to a fridge/freezer.
- be prepared for some very sore breasts! and make sure your top is not too tight because you will be quite busty by the end of the day!

If you have a lot of interview (and I wish you nothing less!) you might run into supply issues, but overall if your baby is more than a couple of months old, your supply should bounce back from a day of little pumping once a week.

Good luck to you!
Click to expand...


oh god, this just sounds so frantic/chaotic and is exactly what i'm worried about!! i hope hope hope i will not have to resort to this b/c it sounds way too stressful. that's why i was hoping to go the program coordinator route and just keeping it between the coordinator and me.

my baby will be 7-8 months by the time interview season hits, so i'm hoping the milk leaking thing won't be too big of a problem (though it is rather unpredictable at this point and definitely still leaks if i go a long time between feeds, could not make it through an entire interview day without getting engorged and leaking). i am also concerned about supply, don't want it to suffer. pump and dump is ok if need be, though ideally i'd like to save at least some of it in a cooler so that baby won't need to drink formula since he is exclusively breastfed.
 
7-8 months should be no problem at all! Your baby will be on solid foods and breastfeeding less frequently, so you can go longer between feedings/pumping sessions. I didn't mean to freak you out. I thought you were talking tiny baby. I interviewed for med school with a 3 week-old and that was CRAZY! At that age, I bet you can get away with pumping once only at lunch time, and even then not completely. I get the sense that most interviews days finish early. No worries about supply either, most likely, by that time unless you're interviewing 3 times a week or something. I agree that telling the PC would be easier, but this is pretty much the same as telling the PD. For any other specialty, I would say go for it, but derm? I don't know... Good luck and enjoy your little one!
 
kralwok said:
oh god, this just sounds so frantic/chaotic and is exactly what i'm worried about!! i hope hope hope i will not have to resort to this b/c it sounds way too stressful. that's why i was hoping to go the program coordinator route and just keeping it between the coordinator and me.
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I wouldn't have any faith that anything you say is kept between you and the coordinator.
 
kralwok said:
oh god, this just sounds so frantic/chaotic and is exactly what i'm worried about!! i hope hope hope i will not have to resort to this b/c it sounds way too stressful. that's why i was hoping to go the program coordinator route and just keeping it between the coordinator and me.

my baby will be 7-8 months by the time interview season hits, so i'm hoping the milk leaking thing won't be too big of a problem (though it is rather unpredictable at this point and definitely still leaks if i go a long time between feeds, could not make it through an entire interview day without getting engorged and leaking). i am also concerned about supply, don't want it to suffer. pump and dump is ok if need be, though ideally i'd like to save at least some of it in a cooler so that baby won't need to drink formula since he is exclusively breastfed.
Click to expand...

What did you expect?

Either make it work and keep your personal struggles off the radar of programs, or request handicap-like accommodations for your "condition" and carry around a cooler and stuff.
 
JeffLebowski said:
What did you expect?

Either make it work and keep your personal struggles off the radar of programs, or request handicap-like accommodations for your "condition" and carry around a cooler and stuff.
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:sleep: umm... thanks for your help. i really appreciate your input, and i'm sure you have lots of personal experience with this. you must be a wonderful father. might i add a famous line from serena williams? :hugs:
 
kralwok said:
:sleep: umm... thanks for your help. i really appreciate your input, and i'm sure you have lots of personal experience with this. you must be a wonderful father. might i add a famous line from serena williams? :hugs:
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What did you expect?

Bringing up such a *controversial* topic as wanting to continue feeding your child! :rolleyes: Good luck to you girl.
 
jefflebowski,
i keep thinking about your post and am wondering what exactly your problem is. i mean this in the nicest possible way, but were you not loved by your mother as a child? i have looked at some of your other posts that also seem to be anti-female and just don't get it. i really am very sorry if your parents did not love you and treat you to respect women (seriously, i'm not being sarcastic).
it is really going to piss off your female co-residents and some of your male co-residents when you bring this attitude with you to residency. i am taking off time from residency to have kids among other things, in part so that i'm not "handicapped" during my residency and will not bring extra burden to my fellow residents. what more do you expect me to do? take another year off so that i won't be breastfeeding during interview season?? yeah, that would be a great thing to do financially :rolleyes: not have kids?? wait until i'm 40 so that i will be infertile?? you wouldn't be here if your mother didn't have you. i really hope you don't have kids if you wouldn't want their mother to do what is best for them.
obviously it is a burden on everyone in the program when a resident has kids and lets this cut into his/her work. occasionally i am sure it will affect my work, but i am not the sort to try to cut out early or put extra work onto my coworkers so please don't assume i am. if at some point i need someone to cover me, i will cover them when they need it.
oh yeah, and making sure my baby has food isn't a personal struggle, nor a "condition".
 
I was being frank. Those are, in blunt terms, your two options. If you prefer more politically-correct phrasing:

1) Make it work without raising it as an issue to programs, and programs never know the difference (which many people do, and for which I would applaud you for being able to do, people who do this impress me greatly)
Pros: no concern about what programs will think, whether it impacts your impression on the program
Cons: may be more difficult to manage yourself without the program's assistance

2) Bring it to a program's attention and risk it being interpreted in a way that is disadvantageous to you
Pros: concern about what programs might think, impact on impression made on the program, transparency about the fact that you are a new parent which presumably would make a "match" between you and a program that embraces that rather than avoids it
Cons: may make your interview experience easier

Either way can work and weighing the pros/cons and your own value set is your own task. What accommodations you ask for, what your strategy is to do it, what risks you think are justified, and the pros/cons listed above are for you to answer. You shouldn't take it personally that I happen to think asking program directors at competitive residency programs for special accommodations is not the best approach. Personally, I have the most respect for people who take on challenges such as these (and I know plenty of women who have successfully) and do it without making a fuss. Sure, ask for help when you need it, but pick your battles. But again, this isn't my life we're talking about it's yours. Maybe this is something for which you do need help, you need programs to know you need help, and maybe all that is worth it to you.

The only response I'll make to the personal attacks is that I don't think you should be so threatened by other peoples' opinions.
 
being frank is one thing, being rude for no reason is another. had you laid out the pros/cons about each i might not have had a problem (except that you clearly have no idea about breastfeeding), but saying things like "what did you expect?" and referring to having to feed a baby a "condition" is just plain rude. perhaps there is no reason for me to take offense, but it is people like you that make this an issue at all. sure, it would have been more mature of me to to just brush it off, but i don't think i should let you get off that easily (though i'm sure you could care less about what i have to say since you are not exactly mr. sensitive).

what did i expect? well, to be honest, i really gave no thought to it when i decided to have the baby because i had absolutely no clue about the challenges of breastfeeding. it is not like you can just give a baby formula for a few days and everything will be fine when you come home. it does not work that way.

clearly i was wrong to think it would be no big deal to pump for 15 minutes at lunchtime when there are people like you out there who think that it is a handicap. programs already know that i took time off in part to start a family, so i really didn't think it would be a big deal if they knew i was breastfeeding. after all, we are all doctors and should support breastfeeding. but your insightful :rolleyes: posts have made me realize that some of my colleagues might be unsupportive. thanks.
 
kralwok said:
being frank is one thing, being rude for no reason is another. had you laid out the pros/cons about each i might not have had a problem (except that you clearly have no idea about breastfeeding), but saying things like "what did you expect?" and referring to having to feed a baby a "condition" is just plain rude. perhaps there is no reason for me to take offense, but it is people like you that make this an issue at all. sure, it would have been more mature of me to to just brush it off, but i don't think i should let you get off that easily (though i'm sure you could care less about what i have to say since you are not exactly mr. sensitive).

what did i expect? well, to be honest, i really gave no thought to it when i decided to have the baby because i had absolutely no clue about the challenges of breastfeeding. it is not like you can just give a baby formula for a few days and everything will be fine when you come home. it does not work that way.

clearly i was wrong to think it would be no big deal to pump for 15 minutes at lunchtime when there are people like you out there who think that it is a handicap. programs already know that i took time off in part to start a family, so i really didn't think it would be a big deal if they knew i was breastfeeding. after all, we are all doctors and should support breastfeeding. but your insightful :rolleyes: posts have made me realize that some of my colleagues might be unsupportive. thanks.
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Whatever it's clear you just want to argue. I don't want to.

Good luck anyway.
 
:troll:

JeffLebowski said:
I was being frank. Those are, in blunt terms, your two options. If you prefer more politically-correct phrasing:

1) Make it work without raising it as an issue to programs, and programs never know the difference (which many people do, and for which I would applaud you for being able to do, people who do this impress me greatly)
Pros: no concern about what programs will think, whether it impacts your impression on the program
Cons: may be more difficult to manage yourself without the program's assistance

2) Bring it to a program's attention and risk it being interpreted in a way that is disadvantageous to you
Pros: concern about what programs might think, impact on impression made on the program, transparency about the fact that you are a new parent which presumably would make a "match" between you and a program that embraces that rather than avoids it
Cons: may make your interview experience easier

Either way can work and weighing the pros/cons and your own value set is your own task. What accommodations you ask for, what your strategy is to do it, what risks you think are justified, and the pros/cons listed above are for you to answer. You shouldn't take it personally that I happen to think asking program directors at competitive residency programs for special accommodations is not the best approach. Personally, I have the most respect for people who take on challenges such as these (and I know plenty of women who have successfully) and do it without making a fuss. Sure, ask for help when you need it, but pick your battles. But again, this isn't my life we're talking about it's yours. Maybe this is something for which you do need help, you need programs to know you need help, and maybe all that is worth it to you.

The only response I'll make to the personal attacks is that I don't think you should be so threatened by other peoples' opinions.
Click to expand...
 
My baby is 7 mos old, exclusively breastfed. I started interviewing when they were 3 mos old and I have to admit, it was stressful at first until I established a routine. Waking up engorged in the middle of the night in a hotel room having to pump instead of just breasfeeding the baby in bed royally sucked. Most of the PDs knew I had a young baby via my application but I didn't really want to make it a big issue and carry around my pump, cooler, etc. so I left my Medela Freestyle (which I love) in the car and pumped in the car before and after my interview days which often ran from 7am-2/3pm. During any available breaks, I escaped to the bathroom and used my handheld pump (which fit nicely in my purse) and dumped the milk. I overproduce anyway so dumping wasn't that painful. If I'd been 3-4wks PP establishing my milk supply- it would have been a different story.

I was lucky as most of my interviews were within driving distance and I was able to bring a large empty cooler with me. I made sure every hotel room I booked had a fridge and used lansinoa freezer bags which I stacked up in the freezer part of the fridge. All trips were overnight and sometimes 2 or 3 nights and by the end of 3 days I would commonly have over 70 ounces, despite dumping during the interview day. Before I left the hotel, I'd fill up the cooler using the ice machine and cart everything back home. I brought the baby and hubby on 2 trips with me that were longer than 3 days- just had her sleep in the bed with us- one night we placed her (sleeping) on a blanket on the floor of the room's closet so we could watch a movie!

Good luck to anyone interviewing with a baby or breastfeeding! Establishing a strong milk supply from the get-go is key to bridging the days where you can't pump as frequently.
 
tootsweet said:
My baby is 7 mos old, exclusively breastfed. I started interviewing when they were 3 mos old and I have to admit, it was stressful at first until I established a routine. Waking up engorged in the middle of the night in a hotel room having to pump instead of just breasfeeding the baby in bed royally sucked. Most of the PDs knew I had a young baby via my application but I didn't really want to make it a big issue and carry around my pump, cooler, etc. so I left my Medela Freestyle (which I love) in the car and pumped in the car before and after my interview days which often ran from 7am-2/3pm. During any available breaks, I escaped to the bathroom and used my handheld pump (which fit nicely in my purse) and dumped the milk. I overproduce anyway so dumping wasn't that painful. If I'd been 3-4wks PP establishing my milk supply- it would have been a different story.

I was lucky as most of my interviews were within driving distance and I was able to bring a large empty cooler with me. I made sure every hotel room I booked had a fridge and used lansinoa freezer bags which I stacked up in the freezer part of the fridge. All trips were overnight and sometimes 2 or 3 nights and by the end of 3 days I would commonly have over 70 ounces, despite dumping during the interview day. Before I left the hotel, I'd fill up the cooler using the ice machine and cart everything back home. I brought the baby and hubby on 2 trips with me that were longer than 3 days- just had her sleep in the bed with us- one night we placed her (sleeping) on a blanket on the floor of the room's closet so we could watch a movie!

Good luck to anyone interviewing with a baby or breastfeeding! Establishing a strong milk supply from the get-go is key to bridging the days where you can't pump as frequently.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you did a great job of making it work. Kudos.
 
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