Tuesday, December 11, 2012

being a pregnant surgeon


Here is a picture from my LAST pregnancy...at 30 weeks!  I'm 31 weeks now...I should really have a picture of me taken this time around in the OR too!

Anyhow.  Being a pregnant surgeon has been trickier this time - especially since when I was pregnant with Clara I was an intern, and rarely in surgery every day...now that I'm in my last year of training I am in the operating room almost every day.

For the most part people are pretty understanding of my situation.  Now that my belly is really prominent I don't quite fit at the surgical table so well, and I have to stand sideways to access the patient...that can really kill my back.  Also wearing heavy 20+ pound lead (my lead is crazy heavy and wraps all the way around my body to protect my insides from all sides) presses against my stomach and is insanely uncomfortable.

But do you think I make comments about that stuff at work?  Oh hell no.  I work with a bunch of guys...and I'm positive they don't want to hear about my pregnancy pains.  Plus, there isn't anything anyone can do about it...and I don't want to seem ungrateful for the blessing of growing a baby.    And more importantly, I don't want to miss out on those cases!  So I do what I need to do to keep actively participating... obviously...I'm a surgeon and I enjoy being in the OR.

At one point early in my pregnancy someone told me that I was crazy to keep doing surgery because I was pregnant.  I was looking for one of the super heavy lead wraps and was told that there weren't any available.  I was shocked and asked, "well surely there is SOMETHING I can use...what do other pregnant surgeons use?"  The response I got was,  "well, that's why there aren't many women surgeons."  (which I thought sounded preposterous.)  Ultimately, the radiology department found me a heavy lead wrap...it gave it away that I was pregnant...weeks before I wanted to announce it...but the super duper lead wrap comes out and everyone knows.  No surprises here.

I have made this situation work for the past 31 weeks...successfully.  I've been so very cautious about the radiation exposure...just like the numerous nurses, scrub techs and anesthesia ladies do when they get pregnant.    That being said, I will be thankful to be in the OR again sans big baby belly!!

17 comments:

  1. Hi Jes - I am a casual reader of your blog, just as I scroll through a few different mommy blogs. Most of them say the same stuff (which stroller is cutest? look at my pretty child! i made my own baby food, yay) - I usually skim over posts (including yours) that look like this.

    But I love your posts that talk about your job and how you balance your work with your family life. They are so inspiring! I'm in a demanding and stressful career like yours and I really admire you - love that you're fighting the good fight, keeping focused on gaining the right professional experiences and moving your career along, while also doing the tremendous work of carrying a baby and being a mother. I hope you know you inspire readers like me who want to do the same. You go get it, girl!!

    - a fan.

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    1. Man I appreciated reading this. There are so many work/life/time related blo entries I fantasize about delving into on this site - hit I'm pseudo- anonymous and people I know in real life read this - which could mean getting me in trouble or making uber awkward situations for myself. Once residency is over I wonder if I will be brave enough to share some of the juicy tidbits.

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  2. wow...kudos to you for not complaining. I complained all the way through my pregnancy and for the most part I could work from home in my pajamas! you are one tough mama!

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    1. Oh perhaps I wasn't clear - I DO complain! Hahah - I am not a graceful pregnant woman - I feel like crap most days and thankfully my hubby listens to me and sympathizes with I no end. I complain a lot around him. Poor dude.

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  3. The person I was most in awe of in med school was my surgery cheif on my gen surgery rotation my 3rd year. The day she gave birth, she was in surgery all day, she walked down 12 flights of stairs in morning rounds, and during afternoon rounds, she was having contractions every 8 minutes and none of the guys on our team even knew. She had mentioned to the girls that she probably wound't be there the next day and then we all noticed her looking at her watch silently every few minutes. She took her 2 weeks of vacation off and was right back at work for her last 3 weeks of residency. What killed me was that the entire department was so angry at her for daring to have a baby as a surgery resident. What a ridiculous thing to be angry at someone for.

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    1. Wowza - that is intense! Only 2 weeks off!? Holy crazy - she must be superhuman!

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    2. This actually disheartens me.

      She really didn't take enough time to recover, and they were still angry at her.

      You would think doctors, of all people, would respect the healing process.

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  4. I think you make a great point about not complaining...at least at work. I need to remember that for the next time around. I think its easy for women to gripe about pregnancy to one another at work (I'm a nurse, ya know... lots of women around) but it makes you stronger if you just keep on kickin ass at work... like you're doing, I love it. Speaking of which... hows the maternity leave situation looking for this go-around?

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    1. I will address the maternity leave situation soon - it gets me going! I have to admit that I am more jonest and open about the discomforts of pregnancy with the female staff - the nurses and scrub techs and such - they KNoW what it is like and are often helpful to me (such a blessing!)

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  5. Wow! I am in awe of you! I'm only 16 weeks in and I find myself drowsy and achy most of the time! Look at you being awesome!

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  6. Me? I'd be complaining nonstop. :D

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  7. My business partner used to recruit doctors.

    He told me that he'd call the men by their names, but he made sure to call the women "Doctor" so-n-so.

    He did it because he felt the women went through more hell to become doctors than the men did.

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    1. I am all for equality - but I have to admit I like this! Haha!

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    2. Me too! Because it's true!

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  8. Guess what else my business partner told me.

    He was once sitting on an airplane reviewing a contract for a doctor. It turned out the man next to him was a Director of a residency program, and they struck up a conversation.

    My business partner said he had one burning question to ask him. He wanted to know why residents NEVER stayed with the hospitals where they did their residency.

    The man said "Because they're taken advantage of and can't wait to get out of there!"

    Ha!

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