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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Deciding to try for a baby whilst at Medical school… am I mental?

206 replies

NurseDoctor · 19/04/2014 13:35

Hi everyone. I've seen a couple of similar posts but nothing very recent. First post here as i'm not actually qualified to be a "mums netter" yet (as not yet a mum!). I am a mature student studying medicine and living with my husband. We have been married for almost 4 years and have recently had a sit down/serious think about when will actually be an optimal time to have children. I am just finishing my first year and will have 4 months off for summer to work and build up our currently sad savings account. Due to the length of the course (5 years) and the 2 years of foundation training following this, followed by specialty selection and training, I can't see any "sensible" time for pregnancy and babies at all. In fact I can see it being put off until very late in life indeed. Unfortunately for me this isn't really a risk I want to take, as I have endometriosis, and, as my GP has kindly pointed out a number of times, the longer I delay the less chance i'll have of a natural conception. So here we are, one year into the course, seriously considering trying for a baby. Our thoughts at present are to possibly try between Sept-Dec this year for a Summer baby (during my holiday) but very aware that the chances of being lucky enough to achieve this are slim.
My question really is, are there any other mums out there who have had babies at university? Did you cope ok with the course? I am also very aware that, as the only married person on my course I will probably be of great interest to fellow students if I were pregnant, how did that make you feel? Sorry for the long post. Fortunately my husband is self employed and works from home, he is incredibly supportive. Pros with waiting seem to be mostly money and cons are time with the baby, chances of conception dwindling which would cause even greater stress.

OP posts:
flossietta · 19/04/2014 22:18

When I went back after Mat Leave to Full Time for ST3, I got a lot of comments of 'why on earth aren't you going back part time' from everyone in GP because that is the norm. I was seen as the weirdo. I'm still full time now, my daughter hasn't suffered (despite what MIL said). Perhaps if DH was in the medical profession as well there would have been even more pressure for me to do LTFT.

One of my best friends in F1 is now an ortho SpR, she always said to us we should 'be the change'. I still hold to that.

NurseDoctor · 19/04/2014 22:19

ImSoOverIt woh... And he wants his daughter to grow up to be what exactly?

OP posts:
bertiesgal · 19/04/2014 22:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

flossietta · 19/04/2014 22:23

Well I have no experience as a mum in hospital speciality so I guess I can't say for certain nocheese but speaking with my friends who are in hospital specialities and have children and similar circumstances to me they struggle more.

Childcare in general is massive bugbear of mine. The Race for Pickup is a cause of massive anxiety for me in work.

However thinking about it I get highly pissed off that a lot of my hospital colleagues say GP in general is the easy option so maybe I'm just perpetuating that stereotype in a different way? My head now hurts...

ImSoOverIt · 19/04/2014 22:23

I also really don't like the fact that at a careers event I went to recently, every specialty was trying to sell there's as being family friendly so "great for women".

I also hated the fact that less than full time training sales pitch seemed to be aimed at women as well. I have absolutely no objection to people working part time if they want to, but I don't want to thank you! I would only ever work part time if my husband/partner was prepared to do the same.

NurseDoctor · 19/04/2014 22:24

Bertiesgal thanks for your input! I think some people are very naive to the realities of F1,F2 etc. I think that's partly why I'm considering babies during training. However I'd then have to cope with children instead, which I guess isn't a whole lot easier. Can I ask why you were expected to do 90 hour weeks when on 50%? Thanks!

OP posts:
flossietta · 19/04/2014 22:26

nocheese I'm in the deanery where a rather Big Cheese in the Postgrad office has an annual rant to all the new intake about how sick he is of GP trainees getting pregnant.

ImSoOverIt · 19/04/2014 22:26

Sorry berries gal, cross posts, that wasn't aimed at you Blush.

I may eat my words later anyway as I haven't actually started work yet, I might be begging to go part time in a few months! Grin

nocheeseinhouse · 19/04/2014 22:26

As a single mum, having experienced hospital and GP (although I am in no way saying that I am a doctor- in line with GMC guidance), I would say the difficulties vary with each post, trust, consultant, deanery, whether I have PMT, am coping generally in life, have a cleaner etc etc, more than hospital vs GP, and that both have pluses and minuses.

flossietta · 19/04/2014 22:27

bertiesgal I did both my AKT and CSA after having my DD. It's hard but can be done. Good luck :)

ImSoOverIt · 19/04/2014 22:27

Nurse - probably a baby making machine for her husband? Like all good women. Hmm

nocheeseinhouse · 19/04/2014 22:28

flossietta- that doesn't narrow it down for me! Wink

flossietta · 19/04/2014 22:31

Haha sorry nocheese :)

OP I'm still in the Go For It Now camp.

ImSoOverIt · 19/04/2014 22:32

Me too op!

Have also really enjoyed this thread. Smile

NurseDoctor · 19/04/2014 22:34

ImSoOverIt bet she puts his socks and underwear on the radiator in the morning too...

OP posts:
NurseDoctor · 19/04/2014 22:35

Flossietta ImSoOverIt ok... But only because you guys said so! (Hehe)

OP posts:
babydoctor · 19/04/2014 22:37

This thread is really interesting reading. Any O&G trainees out there who can give me some insight as to how manageable it is with a family?

bertiesgal · 19/04/2014 22:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

flossietta · 19/04/2014 22:39

imsoover I've enjoyed this thread too. It's so nice to see so many medical mums on MN.

bertiesgal · 19/04/2014 22:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

flossietta · 19/04/2014 22:42

hypothetically of course I don't fine LTFT trainees annoying, I just found the implication from my peers and my seniors that I should be LTFT because I've spawned to be irritating.

I'm going to 80% in a few weeks, I'm terrified and I don't know why!

ImSoOverIt · 19/04/2014 22:43

Don't worry Bertie, I don't judge you at all for going ltft, I just get annoyed when everyone assumes that ltft training should only be for women and I sometimes think people think I am strange/odd and probably a bad mother for wanting to work ft.

You are absolutely right, it should be about individual preferences and not about gender.

Hope I didn't offend. Blush

Onlysteelheals · 19/04/2014 22:45

I think that there are definitely some specialties which are more 'family friendly' than others. I found the general surgical consultants/registrars (sorry yellow dinosaur!) the most misogynistic when it came to me being pregnant. I did a plastics rotation at 28/40 onwards and they were completely clueless as to how to deal with me. It was grueling and never again will I do a night on call at 39 weeks.

Saying that, orthopaedics which is typically seen as the most knuckle-dragging of the surgical specialties, have been the most accommodating. They have on the whole been very helpful but I think that it was easier when as an SHO. Now as a (hypothetical) reg ;) I'm not sure what I'd do if DH wasn't at home if I'm say doing the trauma list.

I'm very thankful DH sees us an equal partnership!

ImSoOverIt · 19/04/2014 22:45

Hi babydoctor, I'd be interested to know that too as I like obs & gynae...

nocheeseinhouse · 19/04/2014 22:46

I think the only way to sort out gender discrimination in medicine is to allow anyone to work LTFT for any reasonable reason. It would remove all resentment. (And, lets face it, who would take the pay cut unless they had to?)