Having a baby

[Focused]

Hi guys, I was wondering if anybody has had a baby while in medical school. If so, how difficult is it? If anybody has had a baby have they had to take a year out? Is it true that being pregnant can result in memory loss?

How would that effect the retention of all the medical knowledge that medical students have to learn?

[drbang]

my friend had a baby during her AS year, she was able to start back at college 2 weeks after, but the change to routine etc meant she decided to start AS's again full time the following yr. Im not sure about med school, i'm sure people do it, but i'd imagine you'd hafta take a yr out, live near the grandparents, have a supportive partner and a magical child-minder on hand! Med schools prob wouldnt like the idea of you planning on taking a gap half way thru, but if it happens, theyre hardly gonna kick you out.

Would be interesting to hear from other peeps tho

good luck
xx

[mummy_m]

If you're not already in med school (I'm presuming you're quite young from the question about pregnancy and memory loss) then it's probably best to take time out to have a child before you go. If you're planning a family remember that on average it takes couples 6 months to conceive; you could be either end of the spectrum so it's virtually impossible to plan a pregnancy exactly. Pregnancy takes it's toll physically too, esp the first and third trimesters (most women feel great during the second) so don't plan any exams etc around that time.
Good luck

[montreux]

There was quite an extensive discussion about this a while ago on the Parents at Medical School board - see Having a baby while at uni reading medicine?

Pregnancy takes it's toll physically too, esp the first and third trimesters (most women feel great during the second) so don't plan any exams etc around that time.
Good luck

Afraid I fell into the minority with the whole "blooming" in the 2nd trimester!

[dadtobe]

Hey

Hopefully I am in quite a good position to answer your question! I am currently a 3rd year GEP student and my partner (2nd year GEP) is in the early stages of pregnancy. She is due in October and will be taking a year out in between 2nd and 3rd year to care for the baby whilst I complete my degree. It is almost impossible to have a baby without taking a year out although there are always stories of people who manage to time it perfectly so baby arrives during a long summer holiday for example. In reality it is impossible to predict exactly when you will get pregnant and if the pregnancy will continue or go to term so in reality I would advise you to prepare to take a year out.

Universities are generally very supportive (they have to be legally with regards to sexual discrimination) of this kind of thing and you can usually make sure your placements are as local as possible. University can be a very good time to have a baby so definitely worth considering and loads of people manage it!

Pregnancy is hard work - 1st and 3rd trimesters are very tiring so you'll need to be flexible with regards to study hours etc. Many people find that they feel much better in the 2nd trimester. Obviously morning sickness can be another issue (early morning theatre sessions can be a nightmare for example) but people manage. My partner is finding the 1st trimester really tiring so needs lots of catnaps to get through the day.

With regards to memory problems towards the end, these are well documented but shouldn't be too much of a problem. All medics forget facts as soon as the exams are over and you'll find half the frustration of medical school is trying to recall facts you once knew really well! Probably best to try and time pregnancy to avoid exams during 3rd trimester for many reasons including fatigue, antenatal visits, possibilty of early labour etc

Bottom line is there really is no perfect time for pregnancy but medical school can be a good time and loads of people manage just fine!

Feel free to pm for more details or if you have any specific questions!