Pregnant in 3rd year?

[felineum]

Looking for some advice regarding pregnancy in 3rd year. As of now my plan is to try to get pregnant in first half of 3rd year and delivery towards June next year (just before 4th year). [I didn't want to travel for interviews while pregnant and also didn't want to start residency with a newborn.]

Has anyone done this and how did you handle your second half of rotations and Step 2? How accommodating were your attendings in the second half?

Thanks so very much!

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[673441]

Woah, that seems like it would be tough to manage!


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[felineum]

Woah, that seems like it would be tough to manage!


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I am in my early 30s and didn't want to wait any longer.

 

[exacto]

I am in my early 30s and didn't want to wait any longer.

30 is the new 20.... But yeah, I'd say its not a cool time to start popping babies out unless your husband has a very easy/relaxed job and/or can work from home. You're going to have plenty of time in 4th year for sure, but once residency starts up, you're gonna be wondering why you wanted a baby so bad. Personally, I wouldn't want to go through that stress (I'm also a dude...lol) , but I'm sure other woman have and you wouldn't be the first. But be prepared for very little sleep and a whole lot of stress.

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

30 is the new 20.... But yeah, I'd say its not a cool time to start popping babies out unless your husband has a very easy/relaxed job and/or can work from home. You're going to have plenty of time in 4th year for sure, but once residency starts up, you're gonna be wondering why you wanted a baby so bad. Personally, I wouldn't want to go through that stress (I'm also a dude...lol) , but I'm sure other woman have and you wouldn't be the first. But be prepared for very little sleep and a whole lot of stress.

What exactly do you know of the difference in stress and workload from 3rd and 4th year?

BTW, wanting to have a baby is one of our natural desires driven by millions of years of evolution. It's so easy for other medical students, especially us men, to not see how strong of a desire it is for many women to have a kid without it damaging her professional life. It's a sacrifice we never have to make as men since we can always have kids later and without disrupting our careers too much.

Looking for some advice regarding pregnancy in 3rd year. As of now my plan is to try to get pregnant in first half of 3rd year and delivery towards June next year (just before 4th year). [I didn't want to travel for interviews while pregnant and also didn't want to start residency with a newborn.]

Has anyone done this and how did you handle your second half of rotations and Step 2? How accommodating were your attendings in the second half?

Thanks so very much!

OP, the truth is there is no good time to have a kid. If you want it then you just have to commit to it. Planning is great but pregnancy is inherently chaotic. You can plan to try to get pregnant on this date, give birth on that date, and work until the end of 3rd year but it might not go according to plan. I think you are right about trying to steer clear of the 4th year interview time. Once you are at this stage you really need to be all in to maximize your ability to match to your chosen specialty. It can;t easily be delayed to put off till the following year once you begin without a significant financial burden. Also keep in mind that sot matching makes any subsequent match application all that more difficult, so you really want to be able to focus as much as you can on applications for at least the first half of your last year in medical school.

There were a few women in my class that had children during their 3rd year. Some had to delay graduation a year and some were able to not miss too many rotation to still graduate on time. I would talk to a student affairs dean or perhaps a female faculty mentor who is familiar with students who become pregnant so they can give you specific and personal counseling. Good luck!

 

[exacto]

What exactly do you know of the difference in stress and workload from 3rd and 4th year?

Quite a lot... although I personally haven't been through it, I have many friends who have and even more interns/residents who I talk with who consistently tell me that 4th year is more "relaxed" than other years. Add to that all the information posted on SDN about it and it seems pretty conclusive that 4th year is less stressful/lower workload. Am I wrong?

 

[WilliamofOckham]

Quite a lot... although I personally haven't been through it, I have many friends who have and even more interns/residents who I talk with who consistently tell me that 4th year is more "relaxed" than other years. Add to that all the information posted on SDN about it and it seems pretty conclusive that 4th year is less stressful/lower workload. Am I wrong?

No. With that said, as a male, I have no idea how tough it would be to travel to (potentially) dozens of interviews while pregnant.

By the way, while residency has a lot of responsibilities, there are a few that aren't all that bad schedule-wise after intern year. Diagnostic Rads, Rad Onc, Derm, PM&R, and Family Med, to name a few. (Although, I'm not certain whether Rads is considered safe for pregnant women.)

And, of course, Pathology has no Prelim year.

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

Quite a lot... although I personally haven't been through it, I have many friends who have and even more interns/residents who I talk with who consistently tell me that 4th year is more "relaxed" than other years. Add to that all the information posted on SDN about it and it seems pretty conclusive that 4th year is less stressful/lower workload. Am I wrong?

It is true that the 4th year is less stressful as a whole but it can be very problematic to have a kid or be pregnant during 4th year. One you have begun applying to programs and interviewing you really need to go all out. Pregnancy can interfere with that. Certainly pregnancy can interfere with third year but rotations can be delayed, made up, or even a LOA can be taken without much of a long term impact on residency. So I don't necessarily agree with your advice that 4th year is a better time to be pregnant and have a child then 3rd even though as a whole 3rd year is more stressful.

 

[exacto]

No. With that said, as a male, I have no idea how tough it would be to travel to (potentially) dozens of interviews while pregnant.

One you have begun applying to programs and interviewing you really need to go all out. Pregnancy can interfere with that.

Good points. So glad to be born a man not to deal with all this baby stuff....

 

[Psai]

I am not a woman but I have done third year and I think it's probably the worst possible time to have a baby. I think timing it so that your delivery will be around March would be better than doing it during third year. It will be tough to stand all day in surgery or travel the country for interviews when you're 7 months pregnant. Then again, you have intern year to look forward to as well. I've listened to a few women in medicine speak and they invariably say that there is never the perfect time to have a baby. It's a matter of what is less inconvenient

 

[doggydog]

I had two classmates who got pregnant during third year (probably not on purpose). They both had their baby in May/June/Julyish, took a couple of months off, and then hopped back into 4th year. Both of them matched in their desired specialties but both also had family around to care for the baby. Anecdotes.

 

[felineum]

I had two classmates who got pregnant during third year (probably not on purpose). They both had their baby in May/June/Julyish, took a couple of months off, and then hopped back into 4th year. Both of them matched in their desired specialties but both also had family around to care for the baby. Anecdotes.

This is what I am aiming for..."ideally." Hopefully I can finish surgery/ob gyn and im rotations in the first half.

Any other success stories are welcome and thank you all for your feedback.

 

[Cytarabine]

Quite a lot... although I personally haven't been through it, I have many friends who have and even more interns/residents who I talk with who consistently tell me that 4th year is more "relaxed" than other years. Add to that all the information posted on SDN about it and it seems pretty conclusive that 4th year is less stressful/lower workload. Am I wrong?

Until after Christmas, 4th year can be very busy

 

[starstarie]

Consider taking a research year. That way, you can get pregnant a little bit later in 3rd year, won't have to worry about being pregnant for interviews, and will have more flexibility in your schedule for newborn stuff. I'm an older female as well and was planning to do it that way, afrer a lot of consideration and tall ing tk people. In the end some things changed and I'm going to wait, but I still think it's a great time to do it. It's not going to get any better for a number of years, so if you are ready soon, I'd say it's a good time compared to other options.

 

[UnlikelyPreMed]

I follow Laura Lacquer on IG and she made having a baby in 3rd year and another during the first year of residency seem easy, haha. Her and her husband graduated from Harvard Med on the same day.

 

[redraider88]

Looking for some advice regarding pregnancy in 3rd year. As of now my plan is to try to get pregnant in first half of 3rd year and delivery towards June next year (just before 4th year). [I didn't want to travel for interviews while pregnant and also didn't want to start residency with a newborn.]

Has anyone done this and how did you handle your second half of rotations and Step 2? How accommodating were your attendings in the second half?

Thanks so very much!

I'm a male MS2 with 2 kids, including one born a few months ago. I won't be able to understand everything, but balancing kids and school has given me some insight. First, know that you'll have to make some sacrifices but that they are worth it. Will you have some days of morning sickness that eat up your third year vacation time? Probably. Is there a chance that you'll have a complicated pregnancy and have to take an extra year to finish school? Yep. Will you have a tougher time studying for Step 2 and shelf exams? Almost definitely. But having a little one who thinks the world of you more than makes up for it. It will be tough but it's not like life will get any easier for us for a few years. Second, I'd ask around your school for female residents or physicians who have had kids during their training. Our school had a panel and they had great advice. They will also be able to go to bat for you if you need an advocate during rotations. Best of luck.

 

[numberwunn]

We had (or, my wife had) kids m1, fall of my and intern year. A few thoughts -

*Morning sickness - for some women it's nothing, others have a terrible time. A classmate of mine passed out and had to get sent to the ed at one point for dehydration.

*family help - makes all the difference. Spouse at home =much easier. Family within short driving distance still helps. If you and dad both work terrible hours and no family help - better rethink having kids or, if you insist, have a good nanny.

*As others have said - baby can decide to come early or there can be complications

*I was exhausted for the first 6 months after my kids were born, and I didn't even feed them in the night - but I think that first 6 months is the worst, after that they start sleeping and things settle down a bit.

*it's hard to plan a baby. We tried, had miscarriage, threw off our plans. Had baby during "not ideal" time (internship), is hard but doing ok.

My $.02 - end of 3rd year is tough. I'd be prepared to miss at least one rotation and make it up in 4th year. I'd think early 4th year would be easier - if you're not going to have to do audition rotations. If your going for specialty which requires auditions, I might wait until early spring 4th year.

At the end of the day, let your professional life inform but not run your family life. If it's time to have a kiddo, have a kiddo! Just realize what you're up against - and, when choosing a specialty, reflect on how this may affect your ability to be a mommy. Lots of people can take care of a baby, but they only have one mommy ...

 

[metaphase]

Three of my female MS3 friends are pregnant and are delivering this spring.

Two are taking a gap year, essentially stopping their MS3 rotation when baby comes and scheduling MS4 rotations to resume the next spring, to graduate a year later.

One is swapping her MS4 vacation blocks for her MS3 core rotation at the time she delivers, so she will get 8 weeks and then go right back at it, making up the core rotation as an MS4.

Talk to your school now and figure out what accommodations they can make, then make a plan based on what fits your personality/health needs and home/caregiving needs the best.

You don't absolutely need to take the year off, and you don't absolutely need to power through, as others have pointed out. Do whatever's best for you. There will never be an easy time to have a baby.

 

[deleted390966]

I think you are right about trying to steer clear of the 4th year interview time. Once you are at this stage you really need to be all in to maximize your ability to match to your chosen specialty.

PDs don't look favorably on pregnant candidates?

 

[huskygirl123]

I too am on my 30's and my obgyn says - out of the blue, I'm not even thinking of having kids yet - that she thinks the best time to Get pregnant would be 3rd or 4th year, but as you know many people can try for a couple of years before they can even get pregnant, so it's hard to plan... Sounds to me that anytime would be easier than during internship. Best of luck to you!

 

[gracie369]

Start trying after intern year. Until then tell everyone to pull out.

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

PDs don't look favorably on pregnant female candidates?

It is not about how PDs view pregnant applicants. Rather the unpredictable nature of pregnancy and the fatigue it can cause in the later months might be a problem when you need to go cross country for your interviews. If you have a complicated pregnancy during 3rd year and need bed rest for example you can delay your rotations or even take a leave of absence without much difficulty. It can be more difficult to do something similar in the first half of your 4th year.

 

[PJ meowerton]

Yay babies! I had a baby right before medical school started and then again end of 2nd year. It's doable, you'll be fine if you can handle the stress. I think it would be way less stressful than during residency. That's why I had my kids in med school. When I interviewed and PDs found out I had a kid in med school without needing to take a leave of absence or delay they were impressed, I think it helps to make them less worried you'll try to pop a bunch of babies out in residency and take a crazy amount of time off. Just be prepared to edit any expectations you might have about things like breastfeeding, you can pump but it's not always easy on rotation, and it takes a lot longer than people think to do and can be physically very very uncomfortable if you miss pumping sessions. Check out mommd.com or message me if you have any questions.

 

[alteregoEMMD]

Just want to chime in to say it's really tough to plan when your baby will be born. Some people get pregnant right away when they start trying, but many others don't. Also, unfortunately, miscarriages are common, babies come early, etc. Not trying to be a downer but just want to point out that planning to have a baby in xyz month often isn't as simple as it sounds. That being said, if now is the time to start trying, go for it! Just don't expect it to necessarily happen 9 months after you start trying.

 

[Mad Jack]

Looking for some advice regarding pregnancy in 3rd year. As of now my plan is to try to get pregnant in first half of 3rd year and delivery towards June next year (just before 4th year). [I didn't want to travel for interviews while pregnant and also didn't want to start residency with a newborn.]

Has anyone done this and how did you handle your second half of rotations and Step 2? How accommodating were your attendings in the second half?

Thanks so very much!

How do you intend to handle childcare while you're interviewing? What's your childcare situation?

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

babies make everything better

 

[Rekt]

PDs don't look favorably on pregnant candidates?

Of course they don't. Why would they want to worry about one of their potential interns having to take a bunch of time off right when they start residency? Then having to deal with re-scheduling etc.

It's just a reality.

 

[felineum]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I'm thinking of taking a research year after 3rd year due to the uncertainties of a pregnancy. Although I am not sure what to do if I don't get a research opportunity? Then this might be considered a medical leave I suppose

How do you intend to handle childcare while you're interviewing? What's your childcare situation?

@Mad Jack - Hey! My husband works from home and my parents live within a reasonable driving distance. Hoping this should work out.

PDs don't look favorably on pregnant candidates?

This was one reason why I figured medical school pregnancies would be less stressful

Edited for grammar

 

[Mad Jack]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I'm thinking of taking a research year after 3rd year due to the uncertainties of a pregnancy. Although I am not sure what to do if I don't get a research opportunity? Then this might be considered a medical leave I suppose


@Mad Jack - Hey! My husband works from home and my parents live within a reasonable driving distance. Hoping this should work out.


This was one reason why I figured medical school pregnancies would be less stressful

Edited for grammar

It sounds like you might have enough support to pull it off. Social support is the biggest component when it comes to this in med school, and having a supportive spouse that works from home is enormously helpful.

 

[Ceusina]

MS4 here. I had my child before starting medical school (he was eight months old when I started). If my husband wasn't also a resident, I would've had baby #2 spring of MS4 year (now we're thinking my PGY-2 year - I definitely don't want a newborn as an intern). My closest friend in med school had her daughter this spring and the timing has worked out really well. She didn't have to worry about trying to study for Step 2 with a newborn at home, was able to do her audition/Sub-Is and an away without too many distractions (although she did have some morning sickness, thankfully controlled with meds), and was able to interview without "showing." She powered through 3rd/4th year without a vacation and as a result, finished all her graduation requirements with some time to spare. She gave birth and has the next couple months to spend with her baby before beginning intern year. Pretty ideal, in my opinion. Just my two cents!

 

[PJ meowerton]

How do you intend to handle childcare while you're interviewing? What's your childcare situation?

I wonder how new dads in med school handle interviews…

 

[Mad Jack]

I wonder how new dads in med school handle interviews…

It's the exact same question I'd ask if the OP were male, I don't see how the sex of the parent matters. If you don't have a good situation in regard to childcare, you are setting yourself up for either failure or a divorce.

 

[PJ meowerton]

It's the exact same question I'd ask if the OP were male, I don't see how the sex of the parent matters. If you don't have a good situation in regard to childcare, you are setting yourself up for either failure or a divorce.

good, I get defensive, obviously

But that being said, childcare is not that hard to find, daycares are all around, I doubt someone planning to have a baby hasn't thought of who is going to physically watch the kid

 

[ortnakas]

It's the exact same question I'd ask if the OP were male, I don't see how the sex of the parent matters. If you don't have a good situation in regard to childcare, you are setting yourself up for either failure or a divorce.

I absolutely believe you that you would have asked if OP were male, but props to you for that-- with no sarcasm-- because unfortunately, that's just not the norm. As it stands, people typically assume the female in a relationship is responsible for most of the parenting, and males tend to not get that same line of questioning.

(Incidentally, one of my favorite Parks and Rec moments is when Ben points out that reporters ask Leslie where their kids are during her campaign events, but he never gets those same questions-- and also doesn't know where their kids are at that moment.)

 

[Mad Jack]

good, I get defensive, obviously

But that being said, childcare is not that hard to find, daycares are all around, I doubt someone planning to have a baby hasn't thought of who is going to physically watch the kid

Finding childcare is one thing. Affording it is another.

 

[futuremdforme]

Finding childcare is one thing. Affording it is another.

Affording it is a future problem. It's the American way!

Just kidding (sort of).

 

[Ddrumem]

Finding childcare is one thing. Affording it is another.

Completely agree 12-15,000 a year for daycare. Hard to come by as a poor student. Add another one and your over 20,000 with a 2 child discount.


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[zona.pellucida]

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