Navigating Life Challenges as a Mother in Medicine

Abstract

We have brought three voices to this chapter to discuss three challenges that women doctors and mothers aren’t always comfortable sharing: infertility, divorce, and financial hardship. While some of us have experienced more than one, none of us has experienced all three. We feel that in order to do justice to each topic a person who has faced that challenge should author the piece. And while I feel like I could write a book about divorce, as I’m sure PracticeBalance and Emeducatormom feel about their respective topics, here we offer up a condensed version in order to open up some difficult conversations. I joined Mothers in Medicine before my divorce and blogged heavily throughout on all topics of medicine and motherhood, including a few on divorce. I have to credit this blogging forum and the feedback I received from readers in helping me get through my hard times, and I hope that anyone facing any of these challenges or others not discussed here can find a creative outlet for a release from their emotional roller coaster.