First of all, thank you for this amazing blog that provides me with so much inspiration. It's so nice to hear from other women at all stages of training on their struggles and triumphs.
I'm specifically looking for anyone out there who had a baby during an anesthesia residency program. I'm hoping to have #2 while still in residency, but the ABA states that no one can take more than 20 days of leave per year during residency without making up the time. I know, based on my first little one (had during med school), that I will need at least 8 weeks, ideally 10. But I'm also poised to do a fellowship! Has anyone gone through this and found a loophole? Or convinced a fellowship program to let them start a month or two late? I feel that if we wait until I'm an attending, the age gap between our little ones will be too big (7 years).
Thanks in advance for your help!
I did an ED residency at a very family friendly program and had a baby half way through my second year. I was allowed up to 3 months off with the requirement that I would have to make up the time I took off. I took the 3 months and I'm glad I did. I have never regretted it or regretted the 3 months I had to make up. I'm 2 years out of residency now. I knew I didn't want to do a fellowship so that wasn't an issue for me, but I'm sure it would be dependent on the program. Or you could always work for remainder of the year after residency and start fellowship one year late. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteLots of co-residents had babies when I trained; they usually took 6-8 weeks & they had to make up the time at the end of the residency. Fellowship can then be delayed a year---do research or even work as a hospitalist or per diem part time during that year, or you may be able to work it out to start later (one of my co-fellows started 2 months late because of a medical issue she encountered during residency and had to make up the time a the end).
ReplyDeleteI would just make sure to talk things over with your program director. I took 6.5 weeks during the end of my third year in FP and was pondering taking more time due to some difficulties with nursing. My program director told me that if I took too much time off (I forget whst his cut off was), I might have to repeat a whole year of residency. This was obviously very sttessful, and I ended up going back at 7 weeks. I can't help you with the delayed fellowship question, but do think working for the remainder of the year and then starting residency is a feasible option!
ReplyDeleteI am an anesthesiologist. I had my first during CA-1 year and my second during fellowship. There is no loophole. You will have to make up every single day that is missed. It sucks! Especially when several men in my program took two or three paternity leaves (granted it was only 4 days each time) without having to make up any of that time...but that's another story. I took 6 weeks (+2 weeks of my vacation time) to get a total of 8 weeks with my first. I started fellowship 6 weeks "late". It was not a problem at all for my fellowship (I did peds in one of the larger programs)--they were somewhat used to it as this scenario had happened MANY times over the prior decade or so and has happened a few times since I finished. I took 10 weeks with my second and thus finished fellowship a total of 16 weeks after my classmates. Yes, it was frustrating to watch all of them starting their "real" jobs in July while I had to wait until nearly November, but that's life. Honestly, in hind sight, I'm really glad I had my kids when I did- in some ways easier than taking time off once you're an attending. I would recommend starting your fellowship 6-8 weeks "late" if possible rather than working for the better part of that year and doing fellowship a year later. Talk to the program director- it will probably go better than you think :) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI am an anesthesiologist and had one child during my CA-2 year, took 5.5 weeks maternity leave (2 of which I used my vacation). I had to make up every single day of those remaining 3.5 weeks...just as Bluebuckeye07 says, there were other people in my program who took time off for other reasons and didn't have to make up time (totally unfair but glad to hear it happened at another program too). It actually worked out well for me because I finished residency right before the written boards, so I had a few days "off" to study. I started my pediatric fellowship on August 1st. I was upfront with my fellowship program (which was small), so even though it was a new thing for them, it wasn't a problem to start late. Then I was able to finish my fellowship July 31 and start my job Aug 1. I have several friends who did the same thing in residency and it was never a problem with fellowships or with jobs to start past July 1.
ReplyDeleteAnesthesia resident here currently pregnant! Planning a six-week maternity leave (I had my first child in medical school and had no maternity leave whatsoever, so six weeks will be just fine for me!). I am using 1 week of sick leave, 1 week of vacation, and four weeks of paid leave. I will then have to make up four weeks, and I will just be four weeks behind everyone else. No big deal. Plenty of people in my program have had kids, and some have taken 8 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 weeks - whatever works for you. We get up to six weeks paid in my program. I love my program and feel very well supported. Those who have gone before me have had no trouble landing very competitive fellowships and/or staying put where we are (a very competitive, desirable place). Have your baby! Join me in the pregnant world! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat residency program are you in? It sounds wonderful?
DeleteAnesthesia CA2 resident here, currently trying to get pregnant which means the baby will come in CA3 year. I would echo discussing this with your program director sooner rather than later. I too know that will need several weeks off after the baby, so with my PD's blessing I am only taking 1 week of my 4 weeks of vacation this year. This will leave me with 3wks of CA2 vacation + 4wks of CA3 vacation + 2wks of official maternity leave. Any extra time off on top of that, I would then have to make up.
ReplyDeleteSeveral ladies in my program have also had babies in residency, had to make up time at the end, graduated late, and started fellowship/jobs late. You will not be the first, nor will you be the last :-)
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI just had a baby 5 months ago (my first) and I started fellowship...I had 6 weeks off before going back to clinic (started out light) and I will say, it was SO hard. I have absolutely no idea how people are expected to go back full time to a job after two months. Literally, I am just so confused by this and never understood until after I had a child. There is a whole physical recovery process that takes at least 4-6 weeks to get over? Then you are sleep deprived like no other for months on end (my baby still wakes up every 3 hours, sometimes more). How is one supposed to have another job during the day? I don't really understand why our profession doesn't respect motherhood as a job and give an appropriate amount of time off for moms to be moms. Your job will always be there, who cares if you are off cycle and graduate later. Motherhood is a huge responsibility and everything, in my opinion, needs to be put on hold for it. I highly encourage you to take as much time as you can off. Its hard I know because nobody will understand at work (unless they are mothers it is nearly impossible to understand). But it is important. I don't know why we settle for such little time off to take care of a natural responsibility. Anyone else feel the same??
I completely agree. I went back after 6 weeks the first year of my psychiatry residency and my heart literally broke leaving my daughter. She's now 2 and to be honest I still haven't fully recovered. The pain of leaving her has been so bad I don't know if I want to have another and go through that again. It seems that I had a harder time than others.
DeleteAfter having a baby, I truly don't understand how it is legal for us to only be given 6 weeks of maternity leave. It is literally as if there is a complete disconnect in peoples understanding of what happens in the immediate time period after a child is born.
ReplyDeleteBabies need you for everything and as a mother you have to be there for them for everything. I have been thinking about this concept a lot these days, of how ridiculous maternity leave is, and I wonder why we tolerate it so easily and don't push for an appropriate amount....
Here is a link to an article written in the Huffington Post regarding maternity leave. I thoughts this article was very poignant. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regan-long/a-working-mothers-plea-to-the-president_b_6090202.html. I'm not a political person but I would love to find a way to get involved with lobbying for better maternity leave in the US as I see our current policies as barbaric.
ReplyDeleteHi! I completely agree! I never have been into politics but I feel so motivated and inspired to see change in this realm. I agree with your use of the term "barbaric". Any ideas about how to get involved with this? I would love to team up with others to make an impact.
DeleteLet's do it! If we women were better represented in politics we would have a better society and happy families. Who volunteers to lead?!
ReplyDeleteI'm all in!:) Where do we start?
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew where to start. Coming from a psychiatric background I am very interested the impact length of maternity leave has on the mental health of the mother and child. It would be a great research topic and might be a jumping board for appealing to at least the GME.
ReplyDeleteI think my post just got deleted.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think that is a really interesting topic to research. I have heard so many stories of women literally being traumatized by the process of having to go back to work so quickly. So many of these stories! I would love to team up with others that are interested in pursuing this and see where it goes. Maybe something can come of this! Let me know and we can figure out a way to connect.
As the author of this post, I would love to help with getting a formal gme policy on maternity leave! Perhaps we can all email the MiM email address and have an admin create a group email? If we don't push for this, I think no one will!
ReplyDeleteYes! I'm all for this! Where is the MiM email address? I say we all email them our email addresses and maybe they can connect us.
ReplyDeleteMore than happy to help! Send emails to mothersinmedicine(at)gmail and I'll connect you.
DeleteJust emailed the address - hope others do too so we can connect!
ReplyDeleteAnesthesia moms, when is the best time during an anesthesia residency to have a baby? I already have a 3 year old and I don't want the age gap to be too far. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCourtney, posting this to our FB page tomorrow to try to get responses for you!
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