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Surviving the Wards While Pregnant
Bring a Chair on Rounds and Other Tips
In my last year of medical school, I completed most of my clinical clerkships while pregnant, including an internal medicine sub-internship during my third trimester. Whether you are pregnant while training or practicing as a physician, nurse, NP, PA, or other medical professional, this post is for you, as the hospital environment presents unique challenges for pregnant women.
Disclaimers: (a) This post is from a medical perspective rather than a surgical perspective — I didn’t spend any time in an OR while pregnant. (b) This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you click on the links in this post, at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I’ve only linked to products that I personally used for several months and would recommend to my friends.
Tip #1: Bring a portable folding chair on rounds.
Standing for multiple hours a day is rough on anyone, and it’s even harder if you’re pregnant — so bring a chair! This is not as inconvenient or awkward as it sounds. Before starting an inpatient service where rounds regularly took 4–5 hours, I did a lot of research to find a chair that was lightweight and portable but could still accommodate my widened pregnancy hips. This is the chair I…
