Published: 2010-12-03 15:41:50
Author: Palmer College of Chiropractic | ChiroEco | December 2, 2010
December 2, 2010 — It is an issue that many women chiropractors face: How do I handle my maternity leave and my practice? Chiropractors share their experiences as new moms in practice. Learn how they dealt with one of the most exciting and life-changing times in their lives.
Laura Avitt, DC, (Davenport ’04), became pregnant while practicing as an associate doctor in a satellite clinic. She was adjusting in the office until she was in labor (“Literally I was having contractions as I saw my last patients of the day!”). She stayed home for three and a half weeks after the birth of her daughter.
“During my absence, the doctor who owned the clinic covered my patients for up to two days a week,” says Avitt. “It made it difficult to cram a normal four-and-a-half-day week into two days, but there are always some patients who won’t see anyone but you. Those patients were well aware that I was going to be off for a few weeks, so they waited for my return.”
When she came back to the office, her daughter came with her for four months, which is not a rare occurrence for new mom chiropractors.
Barbara Read, DC, (Davenport, ’97) said, “I had always wanted to have a practice where I could bring my child with me. Since it was a new practice, when I hired my receptionist, I explained right away that childcare may be in her job description. She knew that before she took the job, so it wasn’t a surprise.”
Read’s first son, Alex, came with her to the office right away. She would schedule patients for one hour then break for an hour.
“Pretty soon Alex’s schedule got more predictable, and we would fill in the schedule around his clock. Yes, he ran the place!” she said. “When I was with my patients, my receptionist would have him behind the desk with her. When we would have a break, I would nurse him and get my Alex fix.”
Elizabeth Hoefer, DC, (Davenport ’08), was only in full-time practice for two months before she and her husband found out they were expecting. While it was not the way she had intended to start her career, she discovered it was a great opportunity to educate people about pregnancy and chiropractic.