Finishing an Internship or Post-doc with a Newborn

I was working on my Internal Medicine Residency when my first son was born. I decided to take a one-year leave of absence. That kind of leave was possible because I was at such a large residency program and my absence didn't put any additional burden on my fellow residents. I switched rotations around during my pregnancy so that I had completed all my call before I delivered, and then didn't go back until the next "year" started the following June (my son was born in April). I just didn't know how I would balance the hours demanded by a residency with being the mother of a newborn, and I still feel it was the right decision for me. When I did go back the following year to finish up, my husband (a fellow at the time) and I hired a full-time nanny who ended up earning more than I brought home, but who was worth every penny spent.

Be warned: it was the hardest year of my life. My son was horribly colicky, my husband was still working ungodly hours, and going from respected, full-time-plus professional to a stay home mom was an earth-shattering experience for me. Looking back, it was the right thing for me to do, and I'm glad I did it, but I wish I had been better prepared for how I was going to feel.

Good luck and keep in touch!

I'm not sure what info you are looking for. I am finishing up my MS in nursing right now and had a baby about four months ago. I was able to load up on clinical hours prior to the birth and then make up some when I came back afterwards. I originally planned on 2 months off and ended up taking three and am working a little harder now to get caught up but my faculty is very understanding. I am getting my MSN in midwifery so I am sure that helps:) but most of the time people are understanding about things like this.

It hasn't been easy at all. My DH works full time and travels a lot. I really had to drop to 40 hours precisely when I came back. I don't think my boss is pleased, but I really have no choice. I try to work at home when possible, but the older my son gets the less he sleeps and the more involvement from me he needs to play :) To continue to put in long hours you will need supportive partner and good child care. I put a premium on being there to put my son to bed every night. If you need to work the longer hours, you just have to be sure that you have child care you trust.

I had to finish my thesis and defend it when my son was born. I completed it in the first three months because he slept so much, I would just bring his swing or bouncy into our home office with me.

I had to finish my clinical psych internship at the University of Chicago with a three year old and a just turned 1 year old. I'm not sure what your question is exactly but I just kind of got through it. It was the worst year of my life but I had to do it or throw away the internship and most likely my whole career. I came out of it okay and now have an awesome job. I did negotitate half days on Wednesdays to work at home on reports, etc. It is a really hard situation and I totally feel for you. You can totally email me if you'd like to talk about it more. That's really the only thing that got me through. I felt very alone in the process.

I was in the middle of my post-doc when my son was born. Not sure what field you're in, but in my field nobody really cared about the particulars of my hours so long as the work got done. Personally, if you can negotiate it I would ask to work about 20-30 hours per week - maybe 3 days or 5 half-days - rather than full time.

When I had my second child last summer I simply asked/told my department chair that I was not planning to come back full time in the fall; rather that I would work 10 hours/week that semester and return full time in the spring. I gave a good list of reasons, addressed the responsibilities I had and how I would meet them, and it was approved with no questions asked. I think the key is to ask for what you want, address any concerns, and justify any unusual requests.

I would probably not ask to routinely bring your newborn to work unless he will be less than 3 months old or so. After that they are awake much more and are too much of a distraction. I *thought* it would be easy to get lots done after having my son, but I was wrong!

My husband did this right after we had my son...it was a paid internship. All I can say is that we lived frugally, and I picked up all the slack to help him through this. I hope you have a supportive partner who can help you!