Doctor/doctor relationship...

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directdoc

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Hey everyone! Just wondering if there are any women on here who are married (or in a relationship with a doctor). Is it hard having a doctor/doctor relationship? I guess it would make having kids and starting a family that much harder...

Just wanted to see how you guys handled (hopefully still handling) it.

I know its always a plus when the partner can understand and relate to what we're going through.

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Its hard. Yes I understand where his priorities are as a resident but timing is always an issue. Since we're in different areas of the "ladder" he's always at work and I'm trying to get into school. He never knows his schedule until the month before so if we wanted to have time away we have to "request" it 60 days prior. Spontaneity out the window! But since I've known him he's always been in school so that's not so much of an issue.

The question of kids is always an issue. I've learned from talking to others that just to have them when you're ready. Often things happen for a reason, good or bad. While many physicians are type A personalities and feel the need for control, I've found that we don't have much control over our lives. :laugh: You roll with the punches and make sure to keep the lines of communication open. You are both under alot of stress and there are going to be rough times, but hopefully you will keep to the commitment of the relationship.

:luck:
 
I'm a doctor married to another doctor. We've been together since before medical school, went through together, and are now in residency. It's working fine for us. You do have to be creative to carve out quality time together, but I'm not sure it's so different from many other couples with two professionals. Remember there are plenty of other careers that are as, if not more, demanding than being a physician. I think of many of my friends in the business world who also put in 60+ hr/weeks (although that doesn't even approach the 125 hr week a fellow resident recently put in, but I'm generalizing here). Firefighters often work 30+ hr shifts (it's not just doctor's who do this). And there are plenty of couples out there dealing with the stress of working different shifts - think a nurse working the night shift married to a doctor. So, the grass is not always greener. I say marry someone you love who also loves you, someone with whom you have plenty in common, someone who shares your values, someone you see yourself growing old with. Don't choose your life partner based on their career.

We don't have kids yet, so I can't speak from personal experience there. But the majority of kids now grow up in homes with both parents working or in a single parent situation where that parent is (hopefully) working. I am the product of two working parents and was in (gasp!!) daycare since I was 4 (had a non-live-in nanny up until 4) and I turned out fine. Again, it's not just a two doctor couple who will struggle with raising children - that would be nearly all couples.

And, while I have no comparison, since I have only been with my husband throughout this whole process, I do think it helps a lot that we understand what each other is going through. I understand when my husband doesn't call me during an entire call night, whereas I here from many fellow residents that their spouses are constantly nagging them about why they can't call like every 2 hours. My husband understands when I am too tired to cook dinner.

There's no denying it's tough at times, I just don't know that it would be that much better if I were married to a lawyer, an engineer, or a financial analyst. Plus none of those people would be the man I fell in love with and who makes my laugh everyday - there's a lot to be said for that.
 
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The question of kids is always an issue. I've learned from talking to others that just to have them when you're ready. Often things happen for a reason, good or bad. While many physicians are type A personalities and feel the need for control, I've found that we don't have much control over our lives.


Thank you for your post. I've been wrestling with this a bit myself. I'm applying to med school at 32, and so I figure, if I'm going to have kids, I'm going to have kids somewhere in my training. It's just a matter of when!

A lot of advice is really hard to know what to do with. From my own friends who've had babies in the last 2 years, you just don't know how it's going to turn out. Maybe it will be colicky, maybe it will be perfect. Maybe you'll really want to stay home, maybe you'll get cabin-fever and really want to be back at work soon. It depends so much on all the people involved, your relationship, your new baby, your work, your outside stresses, etc. All you can do is make choices and make the best of them!
 
I have been married to a doctor for 10 years. We went to college and Med School together. We got married after our internships. I waited until the day i finished residency to get preg. Since we are both MD, I have always worked part time. It gives me time to balance mom and doctor. I don't have to support my family. I work because I love it. I work about 20 hours per week. The rest of the time I am with my preschooler.
I think it is easier to me a Mom/MD, if you have emotional and financial support from your Husband.
 
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