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There is no good time. Just pick the time when it is right personally for you, and then make do with the rest.
Rotations with fluoro: either delay them until after, or do them early and get them over with. Do not under any circumstances let anyone convince you to do fluoro while pregnant. Even though the chances you will harm your fetus is small, if there is any congenital defect at all present, you will always second guess yourself later on. Even if the defect is not related to radiation, you will never be totally rational about it because it affects your own child. In my program, the female residents covered for one another when it came to fluoro. Actually, some of our guys were pretty generous about it too. It helps to be in a family friendly program.
Call: you will miss some, and others will have to cover for you. You will have to “pay” others back later. Early in your career as a resident, be generous with covering other people’s call when they have the need. You can “bank” the good will for later on when it comes time for you to have to impose on others.
Internship year: the most gruelling time of your career as a resident, and probably the most difficult time to be pregnant, in my opinion. In my internship program, I saw people required to take call while febrile and sick with pneumonia, just after a D&C for a miscarriage, just after a parent’s death, etc. Basically, no one is that sympathetic to a prelim intern. I don’t know why this is so — envy maybe?
PGY II-IV/Physics and Written boards: Start studying early. Do not do what typical residents do and wait until a couple of months before the exam to start. Pay to take a course if you have to. Many residencies do not let their R1’s take call for six months — do not waste this time goofing off. Study to stay ahead of the game. Believe me, you will hardly be able to crack a book open during your 1st (you will be incredibly tired) and 3rd (you will be incredibly huge AND tired) trimesters, so start early.
PGY V/Oral boards/Fellowship: again, start studying early and take at least two courses, one of which should be a hot seats type. If you give birth late in your senior year, consider taking a year off before fellowship. You can work part-time per diem and spend more time with your baby during his first year of life.
In my program, we had women have babies from R2-R4 year. Each year has it’s own unique challanges.
If you take time off to have a baby, it will make it harder for others in the program. They will have to find a person to take your place. If they don’t replace you, your classmates will have to take more call. Since it’s not really necessary, I wouldn’t bother.
Anybody else with thoughts on this?
