Having a baby while at uni reading medicine?

**Flumpgirl** · 25-05-2007, 03:33 PM

I will be starting medicine (SGUL) in 2007 as a childless 30 year old - we have tough decisions as women, especially as the 'clock is ticking'!! Great to hear of the stories from other docs to be who are new mums!!

**Future doc?** · 03-07-2007, 12:42 PM

Hi everybody,
My first posting.
I feel very encouraged having read this thread! I am a 28 year old nurse who suddenly, out of the blue, has started to think about converting to medicine. My partner thinks I'm mad though! We're getting married next year and had always been planning to do a bit of travelling then settle down and have babies. I'm thinking of applying to an access to medicine course so it's going to be at least 6 years till I qualify and I've just got to have babies before I'm 35. So it's good to hear it's been done before and people have survived, maybe there is some hope for me.

**Rich' Trash** · 03-07-2007, 01:07 PM

erm... *bites tongue*

**wombledoctor** · 03-07-2007, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Rich' Trash

erm... *bites tongue*

Not sure what that's about!(?)

Anyway, yeah good on you! No reason why the two shouldn't be combined and many success stories verify this. In fact its been quoted somewhere that parent students NEVER FAIL exams!! (tho' i'm not sure if that's entirely true...). I'm full of admiration for the medic mums and dads.
One thing though, would you really need to do the access course? I'm sure some unis will take you with your nursing background.
Anyway, good luck in your future application.

WD.

**Future doc?** · 05-07-2007, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by wombledoctor

Not sure what that's about!(?)

Anyway, yeah good on you! No reason why the two shouldn't be combined and many success stories verify this. In fact its been quoted somewhere that parent students NEVER FAIL exams!! (tho' i'm not sure if that's entirely true...). I'm full of admiration for the medic mums and dads.
One thing though, would you really need to do the access course? I'm sure some unis will take you with your nursing background.
Anyway, good luck in your future application.

WD.

Thanks Wombledoctor!
My degree in nursing was ordinary (with distinction may I add). Purely my own choice not to do Honours, something I regret hugely now!
Anyway, unsure as to whether ordinary dgree will count for anything, even though have 5 years NHS experience. Am just starting to research so hopefully will at least find a few places willing to accept my application. If not, Access course here I come.

**smilealways** · 22-04-2010, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by clairetrayers

yup, we've had people here at UEA take years out to have babies, or time it wonderfully and have em just after exams and not even then take time off. It'll work out fine I'm sure if you decide to do it

Ooh, I'm glad I found this forum :-P I am going to be doing my final year of natural sciences from this September, at UEA, and I want to then do medicine; being 23 now (and not long married) I'll be 29 at least before I graduate and I've been agonising over how I reconcile this with the idea of starting a family in my mid-20s! I don't fancy starting a family in F1/2 either, and a year out during med school does sound like the best option... it's just that I guess if a uni suspected you were planning to get pregnant mid-course they wouldn't be keen to take you :-S I guess you just have to do it and hope they are supportive and let you intercalate?

I wish life was simple sometimes! :-P

**Tangliss** · 22-04-2010, 06:50 PM

As long as you have the support of your husband then it's possible

I had my third baby in July 2009, was pregnant during my 3rd year clinicals had her just after my exams, took 12 weeks off maternity leave and came back to medicial school in Sept for my 4th year. I have to admit there's some days I'm tired as she's still not sleeping through the night and requires LOTS of attention, but as I have a supportive husband it's not too bad. Some medical schools are more supportive than others. Nottingham have been very good in tailoring my 5th year (all going well with 4th year exams) so that I can make up for the missed module and hopefully graduate with the rest of my year group in 2011

**smilealways** · 22-04-2010, 07:58 PM

Yeah my husband is a star :-) He'll support me through whatever I want to do career-wise and is definitely keen to do all he can to make starting a family the best it can be despite the complications of study and work! Thankfully he has a straightforward job with regular hours, so that should make things easier.

I'm quite excited now that I know it is possible and people manage, it's such a shame to sacrifice family life or career- I know I want both! Though don't get me wrong, I do appreciate it's a lot of hard work to do a challenging degree like medicine plus raise a family, not to mention life as a doctor. My parents are both doctors so I know how non-stop their lives always were with kids at home too!

Thanks for the encouragement :-)

**dotvicky** · 25-04-2010, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by midnite-oil

If anyone could give me any present at all in the world, it would be 48 hours to myself, no work, no kids (love em to bits)....There's no getting away from parenting being completely knackering so why do we add on a difficult degree as well?

Heheh - wow... a whole 48 hours - that would be complete heaven. Shame it's never gonna happen.

I'm not at med school yet but I did full-time work and a bunch of exams last year (and start of this) and I questioned what the hell I was doing *so* many times. Why the hell couldn't I just shut up and get on with my average job and take it easy? Well, because in 10 years time, the sleeplessness and the heartache when my son ignores me because I've been ignoring him *and* I'm doing crap on the practice papers will be forgotten. And in 20 years, when my kids are all-growed-up and moved away, I'll have this wonderful, meaningful, fulfilling job that will excite me and, I hope, inspire them to go for their dreams too - the best present I could possibly give them as it's the best present my mum gave me.

Yay to all parents out there doing this completely crazy thing.

Vicky
xx

**clemette** · 01-05-2010, 03:07 AM

Originally Posted by dotvicky

Yay to all parents out there doing this completely crazy thing.

Vicky
xx

Yay to us indeed.
Just wanted to second what Tangliss says about Nottingham. They have been incredibly supportive with me about my son (2.5 yrs, never slept longer than three hours, I am on my knees!)