I don't even know if I can post here yet (just found out I'm an M0! :cloud9: ), but I have a question that I couldn't find the answer to in a search.

Do med schools give maternity leave during the pre-clinical years? Or do you just study when you can and take the exams with everyone else? This is all hypothetical, but it seems like you can control your schedule the best during 1st or 2nd year. The only thing I'm concerned about is having a baby one day and taking an exam the next! :yikes:

depending on the school - they work with you. a woman in my first year had a baby in April of that year, and took a couple of weeks out - took it easy and made up the tests during the summer. if you could aim for the end of the first year, then you would have the summer off (at most schools) to learn how to be a mommy. most schools are pretty reasonable about leaves of absence for babies, but not all of them. do your research on your schools if that is your intention. Good luck!

They will work with you at my school too for one or two exams, but you can't really take off more than that. Here, leaves of absence in the pre-clinical years have to be for an entire year, unfortunately.

The summer after first year seems like a great time to have a baby, but you'd probably have to be pregnant while in anatomy. There's not much research on the effect of all these chemicals on the baby. It's probably OK, but you really have to think about it and decide whether it's a risk you're willing to take. I'm going to wait until after lab is over to start working on baby #2.

Congrats on your acceptance!!!

That's exactly it. I'm really worried about all the chemicals, but at the same time, I can spend hours in isolation at my current job (ICU nurse) being exposed to meningitis, varicella, CMV, MRSA, radiation, cleaning supplies, construction debris...somehow the hospital thinks that's okay, too. Guess it'd be a good question for the OB and the anatomy instructor.

Thanks for all your replies. Anyone else know the policy at their school?

I got pregnant January of 1st year - taught anatomy over the summer in my 2nd and 3rd trimester - my OB/GYN totally ok'd it. There are no studies of course evaluating it, but it's like you say - you can work in other labs that are probably worse. Plus, the anatomy lab director told me that at our school the "concoction" they use to preserve the bodies is actually very low in formaldehyde content. My daughter is 13 mos and cute as a button!

As far as time off - I delivered 2 weeks into 2nd year - didn't go to class, but took a test 2 weeks after I had her, then every two weeks for the rest of the year pretty much. I stayed home, didn't attend class, for about 8 weeks (no attendance policy). It was hard, but doable. I am not one to learn much in lecture anyway. It is ideal to have a baby summer after 1st year, but I just waited too late to decide that I could actually do both and missed that window of opportunity! Also, like a previous poster said - to take a leave of absence requires taking a year off, which my school offered, but I was worried I wouldn't want to come back! Good luck!

Kristin

My OB told me it was OK too, but she didn't recommend it in the first trimester. The lack of research or hindsight makes me nervous too, even though I hear "success stories" all the time. I just get a little paranoid when I'm pregnant, so I know being in lab would make the pregnancy very stressful on me. But everyone is different! Of course there are so many other things that could make the pregnancy go wrong, we can't worry about all of it!

Also, if toothpaste made me throw up the first time around, imagine what cadaver smell will do!