Texas Equine Veterinary Association

• 19 • 1. Allow part time return to work when we first return is is tough, as the equine sector of our profession is struggling with overwork and low numbers, but I think in the long term it will result in higher retention. If I had to jump back into working 60+hrs/week with a newborn, I think I would have at least temporarily quit. Being able to ease back in with partial days has been a savior for my sanity, and I can learn how to balance being committed to our profession, our patients and our clients while also being committed to being the only mother my baby has. As she gets older, I want to gradually increase my hours and hopefully be back much closer to full time by the time she is 3-5yrs old. Which brings me to my next point… 2. Allow for some redefinition of full time and be open to more flexibility of schedule during the work day. e typical tightly scheduled, 60+ hours work week with no lunch break that is common for equine veterinarians, followed by aerhours emergency services, will likely need some flexibility and hours reduction even if a new mother comes back full time. As is, it leaves little room for the new jobs of being a mamma like bedtime, extra laundry, and time for practices for her own mental and physical health. ere are also considerable gaps between regular daycare hours and the times we generally are still at work. Breaks will also need to be introduced for pumping. If a mother chooses to exclusively breastfeed, as I did, she needs to pump every 3–4 hrs while away from her baby not only for her own comfort and to prevent problems like mastitis, but more importantly to preserve milk production. Disrupting your day for 25–30 min every 3–4 hours is very inconvenient and frustrating, but important. e hands-free pumps are really great for doing things like driving to calls, working on medical records, or treating in- patients, but they aren't discreet and it could make for an awkward experience to see appointments while using those. It is worth noting also that the more popular hands-free models are oen not covered by insurance and cost around $650 out of pocket. Breastfeeding was very important to me and I would not allow my work schedule to jeopardize my milk supply and my ability to feed my child. Despite the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending that all infants are exclusively breastfed through 6 monts, this was true of only 25.6% of US babies according to a 2017 population survey study conducted by the CDC. 3. Rethink emergency coverage for moms of newborns, possibly until babies are 1 year old is issue may vary depending on the type of practice, but as a referral practice who typically sees 15–30 emergencies on an average weekend and accumulates a large number of inpatients that require intensive care, frequent reassessment and client communication, the time demand of on call can be quite intense. Planning to be at work, away from a new baby, for the majority of a 48-hour stretch is not sustainable. Something that would be manageable would be to share on call, taking shorter stretches such as 8 hours, with the option to transfer intensive cases that require hospitalization.

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