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it’s hard to time pregnancy relative to board exams and rotations – sometimes life happens; other than that i agree with a previous poster who suggested the end of 3rd yr after writtens and nursing the baby through the 1st 6 months of 4th yr before the last big push for orals. having 2 children total seems to be popular now, and if you wanted to do that during the 4 yrs of residency i would imagine that having the 1st one early on may be a good idea.
you seem to have one of the ingredients of people who are going to do just fine – and that’s being considerate to think about others in the residency and the fluoro months, etc. the 2nd ingredient would be if you have an understanding PD and cohort of residents. the 3rd is, like SadRad said, having good family support – a husband who can help out, and hopefully mother or mother-in-law who can help you. the most important thing will be relying on yourself – to study like crazy and save up knowledge “surplus” that will help you through he sleepless nights when opening a book will be the last thing you think about.
whatever you decide, you ought to know that being a parent will trump every other “accomplishment” you’ve ever attained. nothing compares to it. and this isn’t some sentimental nonsense. good luck to you.
