This is Part 2. It won’t make much sense unless you read Part 1.
Below is a typical example of a working day and how working mums have to get it all done with time constraints.
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My 4pm tick paralysis isn’t a tick paralysis – thank goodness! But it’s not well. So full bloods, admit for fluids and workup.
I like busy. It energises me but at some point it gets too busy. There is too much to do. Then it becomes stressful.
I’m doing ok. We discharge the big dog so we have a kennel for the sick dog. Perfect timing. We get him on IV fluids and he’s been treated. Done.
I check on the gorgeous puppy. He’s doing well. So cute!
Phew. Only 3 vaccinations to go.. All one family. Easy.
Not so quick.
Very bad teeth, heart murmur. Need dental asap, antibiotics, some NSAIDS. Lets do the estimate for that, find out when we can do it and discuss the heart murmur.
It’s 5.20pm. Nearly there. Still have 1 vaccination to go and lot of histories to write up.
5.30pm. Vaccines done. Find extra fluids for the dog overnight. Speak to the puppies owner. Thank goodness I didn’t have an emergency surgery! In that case, I would have to pick the kids up and bring them back to the clinic. My idea of a nightmare. I can just see my daughter playing with all the needles!
What have I forgotten? I’m back tomorrow but now I need to be in early to check the 2 dogs in hospital and after the stress of finding a babysitter for a Saturday at late notice, I can’t turn up earlier on her doorstep. I will have to go to work and check on the patients first then take my daughter to my friends, rush back to work and hope I finish at closing time so I don’t ruin my friends whole Saturday & spend my whole Saturday wage on babysitting.
I get home late, my daughter is an emotional wreck after having three 11 hour days in care this week. She goes to bed with a bottle of milk as she is so tired she doesn’t want dinner. Great mothering! I just hope she has a good sleep as we need to be up early to do it all again tomorrow.
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Mothers don’t mean to be inflexible, it’s just that daycare doesn’t stay open until midnight and the kids get quite cranky and hard to get up the next day to do it all again when they don’t go to bed till late.
Mothers don’t mean to fight over having school holidays off, it’s just that young children are so worn out after 11 hour days at school and daycare that they need some time off to sleep in and catch up. Plus my husband can’t have all that time off work either. Paying for vacation care gets quite expensive.
We don’t mean to have Christmas off. It’s just that it’s now a really special time of year once you have a family. Plus if you have worked every school holiday this year you would like some time off with your family.
We know that being part time means we are lower on the priorities for time off.
We don’t mean to call in sick when the kids are sick. It’s just they won’t keep the panadol and nurofen down so we can send them to daycare or school and buy ourselves a few hours so everyone won’t be upset that we didn’t come in.
I just wanted to write this for others to understand that sometimes being a working mum is really bloody hard and stressful. The one thing we don’t have is the luxury of time. We always have to be somewhere to do something.
We want to work and we work really hard.
I know how lucky I am to work part time and earn the income I do.
I know how lucky I am to work in a profession where we can work part time.
I know how lucky I am to work in my current practice with great employers & great staff.
I know how lucky I am compared to other mothers. I have a husband who is willing to help out when he is home.
It’s just that mothers come with children and that make us less attractive to some employers. We aren’t flexible and what it costs to have an experienced part time vet, you can get a new &/or recent grad and work them double the hours and they can do all the weekends & holidays. I understand business and I don’t begrudge practices budgets. I’m not going to talk about value & experience here, it’s for another post.
In the USA, the number of female veterinarians is now >50%.
It’s an issue that isn’t going away anytime soon. I see so many stressed working mothers. It really concerns me. What price are we all paying? Usually a stressed mum leads to a stressed family.
Somedays I wish I had a 9-5 office job. One that fits in with school & daycare. Maybe where I got to stamp something. Argh! How boring!
It’s 9.46pm. Instead of eating dinner at 8pm, I sat down and wrote this. I had something important to say but I’m too tired to know what the point was and if I’ve actually made it (don’t you hate that!).
I just ate my dinner of left over sausages on bread. Yes, really healthy! Maybe I should’ve had milk 😉
I’m going to ring my husband then go to bed.
Natasha
