pregnancy during internship?

[Emily2009]

maybe people will think that i'm insane asking about this question... just because that i and my husband are getting to the limit age... we have been trying without much luck.

but wonder if we get lucky and become pregnant some time before next summer, whether it is possible to give birth during internship? or is it going to jeopardize the career severely? or is it allowed to take any maternity leave during internship at all?

thanks for any insights from the insiders.

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[NotAProgDirector]

Has happened multiple times in my program.

Never a problem.

Resident ends up finishing 2 months off cycle (assuming a standard 6-8 week maternity leave).

No one has had a problem getting a job or fellowship.

 

[u_r_my_serenity]

I went to a large grueling residency and a handful of girls delivered babies during it. None of them had a problem with their career as far as I know- they all graduated and some went to fellowship. My program gave them one or two months of maternity leave and they finished off track (their residency was two months longer). I know one girl who connected her vacation to it making it three months. And my program itself did not have any problem with them starting families.

That being said, the intern year can be especially difficult without having a baby, and I remember seeing one of my very pregnant co-residents taking overnight call and being very unhappy about her situation. I would shoot for delivering after intern year, but that's only for your well being and not your career.

 

[dragonfly99]

If you're in surgery residency I think it would be hell.
IM would not be a picnic either, but most programs would accommodate it and nobody would be mad at you. One tip I have is if you choose something like medicine or peds or ER, anesthesia, etc. try to pick a bigger program. If there are more residents than having someone gone/away is less of a big deal.

Most residency programs give residents 8 weeks maternity leave, that I know of. We also had someone who got put on bed rest and was out for 4-5 months, and finished off cycle. It ended up fine. That is for IM. Generally for IM and peds, people know that babies can happen and it's not that hard to rearrange the schedule, etc. Surgical or ob/gyn programs would likely be less enthused about you getting pregnant, but very unlikely they'd fire you or refuse maternity leave.

 

[turkeyjerky]

my mom had me as a junior IM resident (before work hour restrictions) and I turned out fine

 

[adam6]

When I was a chief, we had a number of interns (and residents - it was kinda a crazy year) who took maternity leave. I guess policies may vary amongst programs -- but I believe per ACGME/RRC regulations, if you use all your vacation and sick time and take max 6 weeks for maternity leave, you would not need to extend your training (you can go to their website(s) to review regulations re: time off in training). I would check with your administration, however.

Anyway - these interns/residents did not have any obvious long-term problems and it worked out quite well.

 

[Tigerz_Fan]

If you're in surgery residency I think it would be hell.
IM would not be a picnic either, but most programs would accommodate it and nobody would be mad at you. One tip I have is if you choose something like medicine or peds or ER, anesthesia, etc. try to pick a bigger program. If there are more residents than having someone gone/away is less of a big deal.

Most residency programs give residents 8 weeks maternity leave, that I know of. We also had someone who got put on bed rest and was out for 4-5 months, and finished off cycle. It ended up fine. That is for IM. Generally for IM and peds, people know that babies can happen and it's not that hard to rearrange the schedule, etc. Surgical or ob/gyn programs would likely be less enthused about you getting pregnant, but very unlikely they'd fire you or refuse maternity leave.

Programs cannot fire anyone for having a baby, and they must grat maternity leave. It's federal law. As long as she fills out the proper paperwork (FMLA), she will be fine.

 

[dragonfly99]

Yes, I know. Like I said, most programs that I know of will give people 8 weeks maternity leave also. They can, and in some cases have to, extend your training if you miss multiple months (for example, get put on bed rest). I actually think there are times during training (like 3rd year of IM residency) when it actually would probably be easier to have a baby than when you are an attending...

Regardless of what the law is there are programs where it might be frowned upon to get pregnant. For example, when I was a med student, there were 1 or 2 IM residents who had babies and reportedly were the 1st two to ever have had babies while IM residents there. That's been maybe 6-7 years ago now, so yes, things are changing. And nobody really gave these 2 problems...it was just the culture of the place that you worked really hard, and families were traditionally put on hold, if you were female. There was a surgical intern who'd also had a baby, presumably an accidental one since nobody in her right mind would have planned to have a baby during that surgical internship...she looked super stress when she came back, and some of the other residents and attendings were not really cool with the fact that she'd been gone. It's true they can't fire you, but the disapprobation of others can definitely add to your daily stress...and could potentially affect your performance and evaluations. This generally would not be an issue in most IM residencies now...as long as you do your job when you are there, nobody is going to complain.

Child care issues can be a headache for house staff though...I don't have kids but have seen others struggle with this...I mean most daycare centers just don't accommodate the traditional resident schedule well, so it's much easier if there's a spouse at home, or with a more flexible schedule (or other relatives close by who can help out in a pinch). I honestly don't see how some other house staff (with kids) manage, but somehow they do...I think that people tend to become very organized and focused once they have kids. Otherwise they'd never get to sleep at all

 

[Winged Scapula]

Programs cannot fire you for being pregnant nor can they deny you maternity leave. They might not be happy but they cannot fire you.

They may extend your residency depending on the length of time you take off if it exceeds the amount of time allowed for vacations as deemed by the relevant board.

Internship would be incredibly difficult to have a child, as you are adjusting to the new workload, environment, people, etc. but if you're having some fertility issues...it happens when it happens, right? Its been done numerous times before.

 

[Emily2009]

Thanks, everyone, for the warm-hearted replies!!!

I feel much better, knowing that it is not something impossible...

 

[colbgw02]

Just don't keep it a secret. The only time I've seen serious resentment for maternity leave is when a new intern showed up noticably pregnant but neglected to mention it beforehand. That leads to last second schedule switches that people really don't appreciate. Actually, I've seen this with paternity leave as well, which is easier to hide since the guy isn't showing up every day with a gravid uterus.

 

[Elfy]

Programs cannot fire you for being pregnant nor can they deny you maternity leave. They might not be happy but they cannot fire you.

Can deny you maternity leave if you've been working less than 12 months at the place (per FMLA rules), though?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Can deny you maternity leave if you've been working less than 12 months at the place (per FMLA rules), though?

You may not be able to use FMLA but they cannot deny you leave. Whether its leave without pay is an entirely different issue. If the OP is worried she should check out residency policies.

 

[kralwok]

my mom had me as a junior IM resident (before work hour restrictions) and I turned out fine

you did?? just kidding

you gotta do what you gotta do. having completed an internship in internal medicine, i can tell you it will be extremely difficult (and even more difficult if your spouse is in medicine too -- you will pretty much have to have a nanny and hopefully will have family nearby). that being said, it can be done and has been done many times. i don't think your career will be jeopardized as long as you continue to pull your weight during pregnancy and after. you may have to take an extra year off if you want to do fellowship and take a long maternity leave (or may be able to start late). i'm 33 and just had my first baby and would not change it for the world! i was getting pretty nervous about infertility so we decided to just bite the bullet.... luckily i am on a somewhat forced break from medicine so it has been good timing for me (didn't match into advanced position first time around).

 

[Hernandez]

Can deny you maternity leave if you've been working less than 12 months at the place (per FMLA rules), though?

something else to consider, if you've been less than 1 year, you likely won't qualify for any disability pay, so that maternity leave may be completely unpaid.

i know a resident who had it just shy of being there a year, they initially gave disability pay until they recognized their mistake, and now they're docking her pay for the next several pays.