So it looks like I might start medical school pregnant. I'll be on a 5 yr course and this is my first child. The baby is due in April -- maybe during the Easter hols -- and my final exams will be about 5 weeks later. I feel a bit overwhelmed by this and I was wondering whether anyone has any advice for me. I will also have an SSM to complete after Easter but I have a feeling that I might be able to make that into an independent study given my circumstances. What do you think? Are medical schools supportive about this kind of thing?
I really don't want to defer a year because I'm getting on a bit (I'm in my mid-30s) and it seems like a waste of a year. If I take a year off I would prefer to do it once I've had the baby but I might not even do that since the baby will be over 5 months once I begin the 2nd year and I will have the whole summer to spend with it.
Am I crazy to even consider this? I would just add a couple of things: I have a very supportive partner who works from home so he would be able to contribute a lot of childcare support but I have no extended family that could help out. Also I'm currently finding my first trimester very hard - not sure what this means for the rest of my pregnancy and how much this will affect my work ethic.
Will that first 4-5 weeks after the baby is born just be so all-consuming that I won't have any time to prep for finals even if I work hard throughout the year?
Do you think the med school might let me sit my exams in the resit period as a first sitting? I would love to sit them in May but maybe this isn't realistic?
Thanks so much in advance for your advice.
