The Student Room Group

Planning to get pregnant in medical school

I'm 20, in med school, and planning to get pregnant with my partner of almost 3 years. I may sound crazy but i want to do this because my parents are very old (they had me extremely late) and I REALLY want to give my children a chance to know my parents. If i wait till after med school, it will never happen because i'll be on placements 24/7 + tests etc etc. For us NOW is the safest and best time for us to have a child because we have full support for our parents (whilst they are able) and can afford it. I haven't decided if i am going to take a year out or just 6 weeks yet.
My partner is also doing medicine.
Any advice? Thanks
Reply 1
Not a good idea at all. Why have a child when neither of you are earning an income yet? Medical school teaching is quite rigid and not flexible enough to allow you to take 6 weeks out and then come back just like that. You’ll miss too much and fall behind very easily. I wonder how you’ll be able to balance raising a child with studying in the higher years because those are difficult enough without children. Spending time with your children or spending time studying: choose one cos you won’t be able to do both.

Plenty of doctors out there with children. Don’t know where you’ve got the idea that doctors are on placements “24/7”.
How old are you parents? If you think they could safely babysit for you for the 5 years then go for it... it will be very difficult though as you'd expect. Medicine is already hard enough. You need to accept the possibility of dropping out or taking a break (if the med school lets you, which they probably won't).
Reply 3
Unconventional, challenging, but I’m sure possible
Original post by Anonymous
I'm 20, in med school, and planning to get pregnant with my partner of almost 3 years. I may sound crazy but i want to do this because my parents are very old (they had me extremely late) and I REALLY want to give my children a chance to know my parents. If i wait till after med school, it will never happen because i'll be on placements 24/7 + tests etc etc. For us NOW is the safest and best time for us to have a child because we have full support for our parents (whilst they are able) and can afford it. I haven't decided if i am going to take a year out or just 6 weeks yet.
My partner is also doing medicine.
Any advice? Thanks

So - you didnt give your parents age - the oldest your mum could be realistically is 65. That is NOT old, And as someone of mature age I find it quite insulting. Finish your medicine degree and then have kids. 20 is too young to have kids - for heavens sake your pelvis is hardly developed
I dont think that's the best way forward because juggling medical school, which is very intense, with a newborn baby is never going to be easy and you may find it to challenging to even continue doing medicine. You havent got a stable income yet so may find it difficult to support the baby financially even with your parents help. Even if you give birth at 30 that's more than enough time for the child to get to know the parents so please do not rush this decision because you are still very young and you may end up regretting your decision
That’s a very bad reason to have children.
(edited 3 years ago)
Sounds like a terrible idea. Wait until you're in a better position to have a child.
Original post by Mojmeer
Yet another piece of evidence that you don't have to be very clever to make it into a med school. At this point it's really just a lottery :biggrin:

I wanted to say this but felt it was too rude but yeah I agree lol
Reply 9
Original post by Mojmeer
Yet another piece of evidence that you don't have to be very clever to make it into a med school. At this point it's really just a lottery :biggrin:


Exactly what I was thinking, lol. You took the words out of my mouth. :tongue:
Original post by Anonymous
I'm 20, in med school, and planning to get pregnant with my partner of almost 3 years. I may sound crazy but i want to do this because my parents are very old (they had me extremely late) and I REALLY want to give my children a chance to know my parents. If i wait till after med school, it will never happen because i'll be on placements 24/7 + tests etc etc. For us NOW is the safest and best time for us to have a child because we have full support for our parents (whilst they are able) and can afford it. I haven't decided if i am going to take a year out or just 6 weeks yet.
My partner is also doing medicine.
Any advice? Thanks

You will not be working "24/7" as a doctor. You'll be working relatively long and irregular hours, but you'll have most evenings, you'll have most weekends. Doctors do, believe it or not, have children. 18 of the 20 trainees in my department have children. Normal time is after FY2.

You sure you can afford it? Who will be looking after this very young baby - putting it to grandparents would be completely unfair, so you'll be looking for a nursery - that's thousands per yer. Lots of other expenses too.

How do you propose to only take 6 weeks off? Again, i would suggest leaving a new baby with supposedly older grandparents is unfair and not a good idea. Its a year or nothing.

Losing out on about £15k worth of maternity pay, something like that, by not being employed.

But its hard at any point in the career and if planned I am not as against this as others in this thread. Biologically its better younger of course too.
Original post by asif007
Not a good idea at all. Why have a child when neither of you are earning an income yet? Medical school teaching is quite rigid and not flexible enough to allow you to take 6 weeks out and then come back just like that. You’ll miss too much and fall behind very easily.

Might be possible. In preclinical years it'd be difficult - have to get lucky and have it in the holidays! Clinical years - might be possible My med school for example would have you catch up on failed placements instead of elective, where needed.
Original post by squeakysquirrel
...for heavens sake your pelvis is hardly developed

Lol.

I'm sure walking isn't fully developed by that age?

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