Pregnancy and general surgery residency

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PltEnthusiast

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Hello everyone,
I need some advice. I will be starting general surgery residency soon and since I am in my early 30s, I need to plan for when I can have a baby. I understand that the best bet would be to not be pregnant during residency, but given my age, I don't have that luxury. I was wondering if women out there have some advice on what year, if any is better than others during residency to be pregnant? Any advice would be appreciated!

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There is never a great time to be pregnant. Have a baby when you want, work while pregnant until you need to quit then take maternity/fmla/loa until you are healthy to come back
 
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There is never a great time to be pregnant. Have a baby when you want, work while pregnant until you need to quit then take maternity/fmla/loa until you are healthy to come back

I'm assuming taking a research year or two would be the best time.
 
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There is another thread on this that got bumped recently, so take a look there.

Otherwise, research years are definitely the most convenient option if you have the option and are willing to extend training by a year or two.

I'd also make sure you understand the ABS's leave policy. You have to average 48 weeks on clinical service per year, and you can reduce that by a total of 2 extra weeks for pregnancy. Those 4 weeks off per year are "all cause" time away. Vacation, interviews, meetings...it all comes from that pot. So If you're using some of it for maternity (or paternity) leave, it's generally coming out of your vacation time.

In my mind, it's probably easier as an intern or junior resident. At that level, you're somewhat interchangeable on service. As a chief, finding appropriate coverage can become more challenging.

EDIT: Here is the thread I was referring to. Not specifically about pregnancy, but more generally about being a woman in surgery residency. The posts by BlondeDocteur and LucidSplash are more than I could ever say about the issue.

However, I will say it's more than just about the time to incubate and birth the kid. My wife just had our first this year, and though I knew things would change, it has altered my perspective more than I expected. I still love surgery, find it absurdly fulfilling, and can't imagine doing anything else. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that the surety with which I say that has been affected by being relegated to watching my kid grow up via the pictures/videos my wife sends me throughout the day.
 
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Just have a baby when you want to. As my wife often will say, "Medicine will take as much as you can give, and it will never be enough." We've all made tremendous sacrifices to our personal lives to do this work, but at some point, the bigger picture is also creating the life outside of the hospital that is much more fulfilling. No one (sane) will go to their deathbed and wish that they had done another operation. I'm going to definitely wish I had spent more time with those that I loved. So screw it (and by "it" I'm referring to your SO). Have a baby. The program will adjust and move on. Come back when you're ready and kick some more ass.

And of course, I look forward to being the godfather to your new baby...
 
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There is never a great time to be pregnant. Have a baby when you want, work while pregnant until you need to quit then take maternity/fmla/loa until you are healthy to come back

As a side note, I read this post in Ron Swanson's voice.
 
So screw it (and by "it" I'm referring to your SO). Have a baby. The program will adjust and move on. Come back when you're ready and kick some more ass.
Well said. Screw it, indeed.

One good thing about maternity leave is that at least it's not a surprise, unlike if a resident suddenly becomes ill enough to need a leave of absence, so if you give them early warning that you'll be gone hopefully that will minimize the scheduling problems.
 
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