1/ In the twilight of my pregnancy, I've been thinking about a pregnant resident I worked with in the ICU as a third-year medical student. A thread about pregnancy/childbearing in medical training.
2/ She had apparently started having contractions earlier that evening. We were on 30-hour call and it was a busy night. We admitted something like 8 patients, many of them critically ill. She expertly managed each of them despite her contractions as I watched in awe.
3/ The next morning, she signed off the admitting pager and checked herself directly into the L&D ward. Her baby was born later that day. I can still hear the chatter of her attendings, fellows, and co-residents in my head, referring to her as a "beast," a "boss, a "badass."
4/ I remember thinking that I wanted to be like her someday. A "strong woman" who could handle anything the hospital threw my way, all while bringing life into this world. I'd earn the respect and admiration of my colleagues.
5/ I didn't realize that my resident probably did this out of necessity and not desire. And the problem is that our collective reaction normalizes, even glorifies, the suboptimal conditions under which female physicians have been asked to experience pregnancy and childbearing.
6/ Here's a thought: let's stop spending our energy slapping the backs of female trainees for toughing it out. Instead, let's hold programs and institutions accountable for making policies that protect women during this vulnerable period.
7/ Let's honor women trainees by providing: a) coverage for infertility treatments and advance family planning, b) reasonable amounts of paid parental leave, c) appropriate accommodations for pumping, and d) childcare resources.
8/ As an attending in a supportive division having my first child, I was lucky to have access to many of these resources. But my decision to postpone childbearing until after training and my early academic career was still not without health-related consequences.
9/ Moms in medicine are undoubtedly some of the strongest people I know. But we can and should do better for those who will come after us, and especially our trainees. #WomenInMedicine 
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
