I am a pediatrician working part-time and mother to a 4 month-old and a 6 year-old. I work 3 days a week. My husband is a physician working full time. Below is a typical work day.
5:15 AM Wake up, try to sneak out of bed without waking co-sleeping baby, shower, get dressed
5:45 AM Eat breakfast, take a pill of lecithin to prevent plugged ducts (I must hold some sort of record for having the most number of plugged ducts by 4 months post-partum)
6:00AM Call hospital to find out how many newborns to round on then call other docs to come in if reinforcement is needed
6:30 AM Get to hospital and round
7:50 AM Pump in NICU pump room while reading Us Magazine
8:20 AM Drive to clinic and start seeing clinic patients
12:30 PM Done with AM clinic, answer Mommy calls, Pump, drive home to kiss baby a million times and have lunch
1:30 PM Start seeing clinic patients
4:00 PM Pump
5:30 PM Done with seeing patients, answer Mommy calls
5:45 PM Pick up 5 year-old at After-School program
6:00 PM Make dinner (I have help with making dinner on work days), play with baby, help 6 year-old with homework, wonder why first-grade homework is so demanding, try to keep baby awake until hubby comes home
7:30 PM Baby is now irritable and wants to sleep NOW, hubby comes home and spends a bit of time with baby, I put baby to bed
7:45 PM Eat dinner
8:45 PM Hubby and I help 6 year-old floss, brush, pick out clothes for next day
9:00 PM Pump then time to relax!!! TV, internet, read for fun
11:00 PM Bedtime
1 or 2 AM Baby up to nurse, change diaper
3 and maybe even 4 AM Baby up, sometimes I nurse, sometimes I don't and just let him settle down on his own, depending on how tired I am
Yes, I am exhausted but feel so privileged to be able to work part-time. On my non-work days, I get to play with my kids all day long. It is truly having the best of both worlds.
Just curious - what the heck is the 6 year old still doing up at 8:45pm??
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful you feel that you have the best of both worlds. Sounds like exactly the right balance for you and your family. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteI also cosleep with my baby - and am just so glad to hear that a fellow MiM is doing it too (a pediatrician no less!)
ReplyDeleteI too admire your balance!
ReplyDeleteI can empathize with the plugged ducts - I usually waited too late and agonized with steaming hot showers, vigorous massage (if that's not too much info), crazy nursing positions, and cabbage leaves. Sometimes I thought my breasts would be permanently misshapen for life. Relief was so sweet.
I co-slept for 3-4 months with each of my kids - had to with nursing. It was so wonderful.
Amazed that you are still nursing. So many women give up when they go back to work. Of course, as you know, it's the best for your wee one!
ReplyDeleteWow your balance is really amazing. :) I'm considering becoming a pediatrician but I also want the balance of being a mother and having a family. May I ask how did you become a pediatrician only working part-time? (education/where do you live/salary). Please answer my question!
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance!