Pregnancy during anesthesiology residency

[deuce]

Ok- Im an MS4 and please dont abreact with "you shouldn't be having kids if you want to be a female anesthesiologist" - I like anesthesia and medicine but am also 28 years old and don't want to have my first child when I am say 35 - thats entirely reasonable IMO BTW -

but my question is, how does anesthesiology compare with a medicine residency re ability/ease/accomodation/schedule to have a child ? (I would like to not take a year or 6 months off) - I would want to do a fellowship in either case s the training time is roughly equivalent (medicine 3+ 2 or 3, anesthesiology 4 +1 or 2)

especially how do t he call schedules and overnights compare in general ? Many med residencies are going to night float exclusively whereas there seems to be a lot of overnight call in senior years in gas; seems to me internship is a wash, med residents schedule get much easier as a PGY3, whereas for anesthesiology the call doesn't ease (and may even get worse) as one progresses from CA-1 to CA2 to CA 3

any insights would be most appreciated , esp if there are any women residents reading this !

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[aredoubleyou]

Ok- Im an MS4 and please dont abreact with "you shouldn't be having kids if you want to be a female anesthesiologist" - I like anesthesia and medicine but am also 28 years old and don't want to have my first child when I am say 35 - thats entirely reasonable IMO BTW -

but my question is, how does anesthesiology compare with a medicine residency re ability/ease/accomodation/schedule to have a child ? (I would like to not take a year or 6 months off) - I would want to do a fellowship in either case s the training time is roughly equivalent (medicine 3+ 2 or 3, anesthesiology 4 +1 or 2)

especially how do t he call schedules and overnights compare in general ? Many med residencies are going to night float exclusively whereas there seems to be a lot of overnight call in senior years in gas; seems to me internship is a wash, med residents schedule get much easier as a PGY3, whereas for anesthesiology the call doesn't ease (and may even get worse) as one progresses from CA-1 to CA2 to CA 3

any insights would be most appreciated , esp if there are any women residents reading this !

The fact that you're thinking this hard about it prolly means you'll be a great mom. Residency sux. IM has more overnight call, but overall more predictable hours. Follow your gut and dont think too hard (rationalize, etc)about it...both will be challenging

 

[The Poet Sings]

Ok- Im an MS4 and please dont abreact with "you shouldn't be having kids if you want to be a female anesthesiologist" - I like anesthesia and medicine but am also 28 years old and don't want to have my first child when I am say 35 - thats entirely reasonable IMO BTW -

but my question is, how does anesthesiology compare with a medicine residency re ability/ease/accomodation/schedule to have a child ? (I would like to not take a year or 6 months off) - I would want to do a fellowship in either case s the training time is roughly equivalent (medicine 3+ 2 or 3, anesthesiology 4 +1 or 2)

especially how do t he call schedules and overnights compare in general ? Many med residencies are going to night float exclusively whereas there seems to be a lot of overnight call in senior years in gas; seems to me internship is a wash, med residents schedule get much easier as a PGY3, whereas for anesthesiology the call doesn't ease (and may even get worse) as one progresses from CA-1 to CA2 to CA 3

any insights would be most appreciated , esp if there are any women residents reading this !

are you flexible? if yes, whoever tells you you can't be a mother in your field should get a swift kick in the face. if not, then a punch will suffice, but won't be as funny. sorry i don't have any real advice other than that. good luck!

 

[sevoflurane]

My wife is an anesthesia attending. She really digs the specialty and would poke her eyes out if she was in IM. We decided to hold off on kids during residency. She is now one year into PP and 32 y/o. Will likely pop one or two out by the time she is 35-36. We don't see the rush however. Enjoying our lives at the moment. By the time we do have them, we will have our necks above the water and will enjoy the process a bit more. Low stress.
Currently she does hearts, regional, peds, etc... She will likely cut cardiac once we have kids. Maybe even exclusively work at an ASC.
We currently are 1099 which means you eat what you kill. If you kill less this means you have more time at home. There are lots of gigs out there that hire part time if this is what you wish. Currently my wife is a go getter and works just as hard as I do and she enjoys her life tremendously.
Think about how professionally content you will be if you choose IM. 😀.

 

[sevoflurane]

Think about how professionally content you will be if you choose IM. 😀.

This is huge in the long run IMHO.

 

[Coastie]

The fact that you're thinking this hard about it prolly means you'll be a great mom. Residency sux. IM has more overnight call, but overall more predictable hours. Follow your gut and dont think too hard (rationalize, etc)about it...both will be challenging

Anesthesiology has more overnight call, actually. It's rare to find a program that has months without any night call, while upper level IM residents have it pretty chill.

 

[IlDestriero]

You have to be flexible if you start a family during residency. The program does not, and will not, aside from maternity leave. Have a real plan for 24 hour call several times a month, or for night float, etc in IM.
As an anesthesia attending you could take a mommy track, no late or overnight call, if you want. Many do.

 

[Ronin2258]

While I agree with sevoflurane regarding establishing yourself before family. I want to do the same myself, if I can find a willing spouse. However, I can see where you are coming from. In the end, you and your spouse's call. But without proper preparation you could be setting yourself up for this:

So both you and your spouse will have to be hands-on and adjust schedules accordingly

Saw a transitional intern who dealt with pregnancy, delivery, and recovery without ill effect when I was a second year surgical resident. She even survived rotating through surgery pregnant without problems or much in the way of special needs. Did cost her a bit of vacation, but she took that in stride. She was an uncomplicated pregnancy. If you have, complications that will slow you down.

We were a small-ish hospital, with a relatively close housestaff group, so there was good support. So it may be hospital dependent.

If you do have children in anesthesiology, you may be asked to stay out of the operating room proper or do local sedation cases for the first trimester, depending on how your attendings feel about your exposure to inhaled anesthetics. Link:
http://www.anesthesiaweb.org/pregnancy.php

My previously mentioned intern was more than happy to stay out of the OR (we gave transitionals rotating on service the option, though they could be pulled in as needed,) and deal with our floor issues.

 

[OB1🤙]

Some larger programs can absorb the call duties of (multiple) pregnant residents, our being one of them. We have quite a handful at any given time who are on maternity leave, which can be extended for significant periods of time. Of course time off has to be paid back, but there is great flexibility for this. We've had CA1s, 2s, and 3s all go through pregnancy and maternity leave without much trouble or inconvenience to others.

Smaller programs won't be able to provide the kind of call cushion bigger ones can, FWIW.

 

[deleted126335]

Ok- Im an MS4 and please dont abreact with "you shouldn't be having kids if you want to be a female anesthesiologist" - I like anesthesia and medicine but am also 28 years old and don't want to have my first child when I am say 35 - thats entirely reasonable IMO BTW -

but my question is, how does anesthesiology compare with a medicine residency re ability/ease/accomodation/schedule to have a child ? (I would like to not take a year or 6 months off) - I would want to do a fellowship in either case s the training time is roughly equivalent (medicine 3+ 2 or 3, anesthesiology 4 +1 or 2)

especially how do t he call schedules and overnights compare in general ? Many med residencies are going to night float exclusively whereas there seems to be a lot of overnight call in senior years in gas; seems to me internship is a wash, med residents schedule get much easier as a PGY3, whereas for anesthesiology the call doesn't ease (and may even get worse) as one progresses from CA-1 to CA2 to CA 3

any insights would be most appreciated , esp if there are any women residents reading this !

A pregnancy during residency will have less impact on your fellow residents in a larger program which should theoretically be more flexible, thus less resentment towards you. (Unfair but true). Yes there is more overnight call for senior residents in anesthesiology than medicine. This is not only true during residency but after residency as well.

If your husband is a true stay at home dad and house husband you will be able to have as successful career as any male anesthesiologists. You can go for the high power jobs that have significant call responsibilities.

If your husband is not that type (most men aren't) you will have two options:

1. Go for the jobs with minimal call responsibility- a major step down in pay package and satisfaction.

2. Go for the high power job anyway. The reality is that most men with careers will still expect the woman to do most of the child rearing and house work even if the woman's job is more demanding in terms of time. You can alleviate this somewhat by hiring lots of help, but these types of situations tend to take a toll on a significant percentage of marriages.

 

[pillowhead]

I am late in my third trimester and a CA-3. Pregnancy and residency has been very doable though not easy (most things worth having aren't). My pregnancy has been about as textbook as they come though and without any major complications. You just don't know if that will be true for you until it happens.

I spent most of my first trimester in the ICU (as a resident, not patient). I was exhausted all the time and that was without having any significant nausea/vomiting. I did every single one of my calls though as scheduled and only had one day that I came in a few hours late because I just felt like complete crap. Have been in the OR or on OB for the rest of the pregnancy which was generally fine. Have even done some liver transplants. I have been kept out of IR cases and fluoro cases unless the fluoro was going to be for a very short period in which case I wore two lead gowns. I wouldn't want to do cardiac pregnant (you just don't sit down on cardiac I find, at least at my institution). This last month I am a non-OR rotation so I can more freely eat and drink and go to the bathroom which is much appreciated.

My program has generally been accommodating to my needs though with a few caveats.
1. My needs during pregnancy have been few. It's not hard to find someone else to stick in the fluoro room.
2. I schedule all my appointments on post-call days if possible. I think I have left work early all of two times and come in late two times during 8 months of pregnancy so far. I think other residents have probably done nearly the same for various reasons in the same time period.
3. I have taken equal call to everyone else. We are NOT on a night float system in any way nor do we come in late on our call days. I asked them to front load my calls in July and now I am a rotation with home call this month meaning my overnight calls were done around week 32-33. The last couple of calls were pretty difficult to get through and honestly, I do not think it's healthy to take 24+ hours of call much past week 30. I was definitely contracting during times of physical/mental stress on call.
4. I have proven myself to be a good, hardworking, reliable resident in the first years of residency so on the rare occasion I need some accommodation, I don't think anyone is upset or bothered. (If they are, they aren't telling me and they can just suck it if they don't have the balls to approach me directly.) I can't overemphasize how important this is.
5. My planned maternity leave is relatively short, about 2 months. It's manageable for any reasonably sized program and/or any program with a decent number of anesthetists.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. Like everything else in life, there is a balance that can be found and it can be done provided you are otherwise a hard worker and good resident.

 

[hoyden]

Ok- Im an MS4 and please dont abreact with "you shouldn't be having kids if you want to be a female anesthesiologist" - I like anesthesia and medicine but am also 28 years old and don't want to have my first child when I am say 35 - thats entirely reasonable IMO BTW -

but my question is, how does anesthesiology compare with a medicine residency re ability/ease/accomodation/schedule to have a child ? (I would like to not take a year or 6 months off) - I would want to do a fellowship in either case s the training time is roughly equivalent (medicine 3+ 2 or 3, anesthesiology 4 +1 or 2)

especially how do t he call schedules and overnights compare in general ? Many med residencies are going to night float exclusively whereas there seems to be a lot of overnight call in senior years in gas; seems to me internship is a wash, med residents schedule get much easier as a PGY3, whereas for anesthesiology the call doesn't ease (and may even get worse) as one progresses from CA-1 to CA2 to CA 3

any insights would be most appreciated , esp if there are any women residents reading this !

Have your first pregnancy during your intern year ( especially if it is transitional one) and your second one during CA-3 year. The first might be not the worst internship, during the last year you will be in much better position in the department and won't be posing too much pressure on your colleagues. It also might be better to choose the big program > 15 residents/year since then it is less harm to your brothers and sisters.

I do not know about you but if I would know what a night float is I would stay away from the program altogether. For me it is the worst possible schedule under the sun( thererefore I can't get the concept of a "lifestyle" in EM) - to be on night shifts 4-5 nights straight. We've had 2 weeks blocks 6pm-8 am with Saturdays off an a Sunday - 24 hours - it was plain terrible.

Have the third baby during the fellowship. The last one is the best time, so if you plan to have just one kid, wait until then.

 

[335230]

ok

 

[Sapdaddy]

I think you will be a better, happier resident without this added stress. I would just wait until after residency.

I think its just WAY too much to do well in residency and deal with a child.

It can be done. Had our first during her CA-2 year, for the second waited until after ABA Cert. It's not easy. One of you might have to be flexible on the job hours (I work evenings and we get babysitters for her lates and calls), but I know lots of anesthesiologists who are moms. Some are on the mommy track, but some are highly career-oriented.

If you want to get pregnant during residency, try to have that kid before you finish CA-2 so you have a full year to study for writtens, and then don't plan to study at home (infants are distracting and hinder your studies while at home). Go to the library and study after work, every day of your CA-3 year. Make it your routine and arrange child care into the evening hours. Do the same for orals. That's what my wife did, passed all tests no problem. If you can't get the support to be able to work and put the extra hours into studying away from home, then I wouldn't recommend having a baby until after you are ABA-cert.

 

[InductionAgent]

We had plenty of female residents and attendings who had babies, and they did fine. If you want to have a baby, don't let anyone talk you out of it (with the exception of your husband). Last I checked, board certification was not required in the USA to give birth.

 

[jennyboo]

The larger the residency program the better -- whether you have a family or not! It's all about the body count. The more bodies there are, the more flexible and tolerant the program (and your co-residents) will be regarding sick days, family leave, accommodating you when you've broken your arm and can't intubate for a month, etc.

 

[Sammich81]

Does all maternity leave have to come out of your vacation or otherwise be made up? Because it looks like the ABA requires no more than 20 days absence per year for whatever reason. Did you guys tack on your time at the end, use your vacation, or what?

 

[durlvlbeacoo]

Stay away from the poison gas. You don't want your kid to have defects.

 

[Trajan]

Residency is hard. Being pregnant is hard. Raising children is hard. Pursuing a high powered academic anesthesiology career is hard.

We are all free to live the lives we choose. I would never tell a woman that she shouldn't have children because of her career.

However, you can't have it all. Hate to say it, but that's a difficult pill for the ultra type A overachievers of our generation to swallow (myself included).

 

[Laurel123]

Is always hardBeing a working mommy. Many of the residents had babies during residency. I waited until I was a couple years into private practice. There are pros and cons of each.

Residency is better because there is maternity leave, people to give you breaks to vomit, pee and then pump. There are people to do the fluro and cement cases. But with residency, there is studying to do. And I would imagine it would be super hard to study with an infant. I barely had time to brush my teeth.

In private practice, while you might occasionally look up things to refresh your mind, for the most part my time at home is totally free. But sometimes you are in a location where no one can give you a break, which can be very uncomfortable. While I was always able to find a moment to go the bathroom, I had a couple of lactacting accidents. And surgeons wondering why I have a blanket wrapped around my chest when the room was nice and warm. But it's doable. I worked full time. I took call. I waddled my way through the OR until I was induced. I was able to breastfeed my baby an entire year.

It's not easy

 

[dhb]

Residency is hard. Being pregnant is hard. Raising children is hard. Pursuing a high powered academic anesthesiology career is hard.

Agreed 👍

 

[killerleaf]

According to the ABA, you cannot miss more than 60 days TOTAL during your last 3 years of Anesthesiology training. This includes sick days, vacation days, days to interview, etc. If you go over that, then you have to extend. I have seen a couple of ladies who delayed their fellowships for a year, because they had to extend their time. I have also seen ladies graduate on time, even with multiple pregnancies during residency. You just have to manage your time wisely....which is the key to a lot of things in life!

 

[Coastie]

Residency is hard. Being pregnant is hard. Raising children is hard. Pursuing a high powered academic anesthesiology career is hard.
We are all free to live the lives we choose. I would never tell a woman that she shouldn't have children because of her career.

However, you can't have it all. Hate to say it, but that's a difficult pill for the ultra type A overachievers of our generation to swallow (myself included).

Define "high powered". And see private forum thread about academic attendings.

 

[chocomorsel]

According to the ABA, you cannot miss more than 60 days TOTAL during your last 3 years of Anesthesiology training. This includes sick days, vacation days, days to interview, etc. If you go over that, then you have to extend. I have seen a couple of ladies who delayed their fellowships for a year, because they had to extend their time. I have also seen ladies graduate on time, even with multiple pregnancies during residency. You just have to manage your time wisely....which is the key to a lot of things in life!

Are u sure about that? Because that means our days are already all used up with 3 weeks vacation + 5 days educational leave. Gonna go look that up.
Always thought it was 60 days aside from your yearly vacation.

 

[killerleaf]

Hmm...ok, this is how I was taught by the ABA gurus.

Add up all sick time and vacation time that the resident has taken the LAST three years of residency, (they just don't care about your internship), and if they have any unpaid time off. If that equals more than 60, then you have to extend.

Your "education leave" does not count towards this, if you are attending a meeting or conference.

So, for example, if Resident A has taken all 15 days of their vacation their PGY-2 year, takes 6 weeks of maternity leave their PGY-3 year, then they can only take 16 days of sick/vacation time their PGY-4 year. Maternity leave you only count the WORKING days, not weekends...so say if they were out August 2, 2010 coming back to work September 13, that is only 29 days, (because you don't count Labor Day). (15+29+16=60)

Does that help?

 

[same21]

.

 

[Narcotized]

However, you can't have it all.

2 words to refute that: Hugh Hefner

 

[hoyden]

Is always hardBeing a working mommy. Many of the residents had babies during residency. I waited until I was a couple years into private practice. There are pros and cons of each.

Residency is better because there is maternity leave, people to give you breaks to vomit, pee and then pump. There are people to do the fluro and cement cases. But with residency, there is studying to do. And I would imagine it would be super hard to study with an infant. I barely had time to brush my teeth.

In private practice, while you might occasionally look up things to refresh your mind, for the most part my time at home is totally free. But sometimes you are in a location where no one can give you a break, which can be very uncomfortable. While I was always able to find a moment to go the bathroom, I had a couple of lactacting accidents. And surgeons wondering why I have a blanket wrapped around my chest when the room was nice and warm. But it's doable. I worked full time. I took call. I waddled my way through the OR until I was induced. I was able to breastfeed my baby an entire year.

It's not easy

It is just an opinion, obviously, but if you plan to have kids and be a full-time anesthesiologist - have them during your residency - all of them.
It is not going to be easier in practice - for totally different reasons and much more serious ones.

It is much better to look for time for studying than to have conflicts with few of your co-workers over the schedule and assignments which might result in much worse outcome than a low score on ITE.

 

[michigangirl]

Just posted the stuff in quotes below on another thread re: anesthesia programs and family...-- bottom line-- "have it all" is defined by what you consider having it all. I have two kids and I'm happy as hell. I have a rich professional life and a wonderful family life. CA-1-3 year sucked-- but it was TOTALLY worth it. I had my first kid before 30 and like you didn't want to wait too long. IM residency is probably very similar to pediatrics residency-- and I know that pediatrics was a much easier residency to get pregnant and take care of baby and all it entails. IF IM will make you just as happy as anesthesiology, then by all means choose IM. If there's a small chance it won't, go for anesthesiology and just be ready for the ride.
from the other thread...

"I had a six month old and was pumping (TMI?) and nursing at the time I started CA-1 year at Hopkins. It sucked, because coming from a peds residency where I was used to being able to disappear for 15 minutes here and there without it being a big deal, now I was relying on someone to come get me out to pee, eat and pump. BUT...I think being at a big program as OP stated makes a difference for being able to absorb the stuff that comes up for people with families. Anesthesia, by virtue of what it is, is a hard residency for people with families because of the lack of flexibility, but large numbers makes that easier. I can't count the number of women who got pregnant during various years of residency while I was there, there were many. And it wasn't a big deal.

Not sure if you're male or female but it really doesn't matter. Bottom line, at a big place like Hopkins if daycare called at 1 p.m. and said my kid has a fever and needs to be picked up and my husband was unavailable (unusual), they would figure out a way to get me out immediately. The two times CA-1 year I had noone to pick my kid up at 6:30 when daycare closes because my husband was out of town, I let the coordinator know early in the day and they had a backup plan in case my cases went over. The caveat to all of this is my husband is uber-understanding, accomodating, and has a job and boss who thankfully are very flexible (he's a lawyer). I couldn't do this otherwise without a live-in nanny. Also, I was careful not to to take advantage. . "

Please PM me if you have any other questions. If Anesthesiology is your dream job, please go for it. Everything else will fall into place.