Moms of Medicine

Internship baby in the 1980s - what's better and what still needs improvement with Dr. Deborah Gomez Kwolek

April 27, 2023 Alison Trainor
Internship baby in the 1980s - what's better and what still needs improvement with Dr. Deborah Gomez Kwolek
Moms of Medicine
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Moms of Medicine
Internship baby in the 1980s - what's better and what still needs improvement with Dr. Deborah Gomez Kwolek
Apr 27, 2023
Alison Trainor

"The big bottom line, ok, this is the big bottom line - young moms and women in general we are so self critcal and we are so down on ourselves, and I could practically cry just thinking about this because it's so unneeeded. We're as smart as the guys, we're as committed as they are, we probably work harder in certain ways. Women do a lot of unpaid work. And so we have no reason to feel bad about ourselves, but I know when I was a young mom, you're so insecure. What happens though, I think when you get around 35 or 40, you're just like "who cares what people think". You can't even worry about that. As long as you're comfortable, your partner, your conscience, your family, that's what matters."

In this episode Dr. Deborah Gomez Kwolek shares her experience with:
- Having a baby during her intern year in 1987 and how she barely survived that year
- Having to take time away from residency training when she had her 2 first kids
- Sharing a residency spot with another woman who had a baby in residency (she needed to heavily advocate for herself to make this happen)
- Going on to have 7 children
- Taking several years away from medicine midway through her career, and then coming back
- Supporting young moms now that she is more senior

Join the SGIM Women and Medicine Commission's workgroup on parenting

"Pregnancy and Residency- Overdue for Equity" published in NEJM March 11, 2023

Follow Moms of Medicine:
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Follow Ali:
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Show Notes

"The big bottom line, ok, this is the big bottom line - young moms and women in general we are so self critcal and we are so down on ourselves, and I could practically cry just thinking about this because it's so unneeeded. We're as smart as the guys, we're as committed as they are, we probably work harder in certain ways. Women do a lot of unpaid work. And so we have no reason to feel bad about ourselves, but I know when I was a young mom, you're so insecure. What happens though, I think when you get around 35 or 40, you're just like "who cares what people think". You can't even worry about that. As long as you're comfortable, your partner, your conscience, your family, that's what matters."

In this episode Dr. Deborah Gomez Kwolek shares her experience with:
- Having a baby during her intern year in 1987 and how she barely survived that year
- Having to take time away from residency training when she had her 2 first kids
- Sharing a residency spot with another woman who had a baby in residency (she needed to heavily advocate for herself to make this happen)
- Going on to have 7 children
- Taking several years away from medicine midway through her career, and then coming back
- Supporting young moms now that she is more senior

Join the SGIM Women and Medicine Commission's workgroup on parenting

"Pregnancy and Residency- Overdue for Equity" published in NEJM March 11, 2023

Follow Moms of Medicine:
- Twitter
- Instagram

Follow Ali:
- Twitter