Breastfeeding on the interview trail

Three years ago, I was about to start residency interviews. And I had a two-month-old baby.

“Don’t tell them you have a child,” some of my friends said.

“And definitely DON’T ask for a place to pump.”

I didn’t listen. I asked every program (in advance) for access to a lactation room. For some programs, it was the first time they had received this request. But still, every program found a way to accommodate me.

So why did I take this "risk"?

Breastfeeding my child was important to me, and I wanted to match into a residency program that respected this choice.

But even more, I wanted to help pave this path for other women. Make it a little easier for those coming after me. To stand up for myself, and in a small way, stand up for other women.

"Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women." - Maya Angelou