The days were starting to get a little bit shorter, and I was amazed at how everything came together. We’d found an apartment and moved our stuff (although my husband was still commuting to our old city for his PhD), and I was starting to get the hang of my coursework as well. I wasn’t nauseous anymore, but I was still so sleepy! I started sitting in the front row during lectures, but I’d still fall asleep more often than not – even in the really interesting lectures. And hungry too – I’d pack at least 5 baggies of snacks to get through the day!

I learned to ease up on my expectations for myself – it was OK if I fell asleep in class; my body and my baby were going to take care of themselves, and I had to go along with that. I managed to study enough and keep up with my workload to pass every class by a substantial margin that first semester.

It felt a little like a waiting game once I went on maternity leave. I had arranged to defer taking the neurosciences block until the next year, so I had about 8 weeks of break time. I was due four weeks before that time would be up. Of course, babies don’t always pay attention to due dates, and mine arrived a week “late” by the calendar – cutting my post-partum maternity leave to 3 weeks.

Being a curious medical student made my labor and delivery experience and hospital stay very interesting – I grilled every resident I met about their med school experience. In retrospect, some of them might not have appreciated that! From when my water broke to delivery was about 12 hours – 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thankfully, I had a comparatively easy labor and uncomplicated delivery; but what an day! My husband and I were a strange mixture of exhausted, exhilarated, and awestruck when the L+D nurse finally placed 6lb, 11oz, and 19.5 inches of cuddly, squirmy, pink baby boy on my chest.

Maternity Scrubs is a mama to one cute little dude, a wife, and a first year medical student. She also enjoys cooking delicious and healthy food, traveling, and listening to baby music!