In part one of a two-part conversation, the host, Amanda Quijano, interviews Allie, a surgical attending, mom of three, and first author of the study “Pregnancy and Medical Training: A Survey of Physician Moms and Their Experiences During Residency and Fellowship.”
The revisit Allie’s experience becoming a parent during surgical training, exploring the culture with few role models and implicit discouragement or becoming a mom during training - or in the surgical field all together. The subsequent fear of disclosing a pregnancy, the physical burden of front-loaded call, and a maternity leave limited to your vacation time and with academic expectations during that time still included.
Allie opens up about what she felt she lost by having her first child during training, the resentment she felt about the contrast between her hospital’s prioritization of mothers and babies who were patients compared to the reprioritization of mothers (and babies) who were trainees, and the impact her demanding call schedule had on the health of her baby.