Katharine Smart
BIO
Pediatrician and President, Canadian Medical Association. Mom of two.
Instagram: @KatharineSmart
Twitter: @KatharineSmart
Katharine Smart
“It was important to me that I role model to younger women that motherhood and practising as a physician aren’t mutually exclusive.”
I was a pediatrician before I was a mother. Becoming a mother made me a much better pediatrician, but balancing motherhood in a two-physician household has never been easy.
There have been many sleepless nights. I made choices designed to prioritize time with my children while ensuring my patients’ needs were met. I worked nights so I could be home with the kids during the day and modified my work schedule as they grew so I could accomplish more while they were in school.
It was important to me that I role model to younger women that motherhood and practising as a physician aren’t mutually exclusive. I would teach my class on global health with my baby in a sling or breastfeed while leading small group seminars. I wanted my students to see that being a woman and a mother made me a better advocate and physician — not a lesser one.
It’s been challenging, but incredibly rewarding. And there are so many funny moments that I now treasure.
I was driving my son to preschool one day when I was called to the hospital to treat a critically ill baby. There was no time for the drop-off, so my son came with me. I put him in a chair in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and told him to sit quietly while mom helped a baby. He was soon rescued by a kind nurse who took him up to the pediatric ward where he spent the day with some children who had been admitted to the hospital. He was fed popsicles and given a giant stuffed bear. His new nurse friend held him up to the window of the NICU so he could watch his mom helping a baby. Several hours later, the baby out of harm’s way, we went home together.
“Mom, that was the best day ever! Can I come to work with you tomorrow?”
The stuffed bear still sits on his bed.
My children have made many sacrifices when others have needed their mom more than they did in that moment. There have been missed Christmases and sudden departures from events. I haven’t always been able to attend school events or volunteer. Our family conversations have always included discussion about helping others and acts of service.
I am fortunate to have a wonderful team helping me along the way including an amazing nanny when my kids were younger and a supportive and involved husband. The kids’ grandparents have flown in from time to time to give us a break or let us get away.
Today, I have two amazing kids who are proud of me and my work. They see the value in helping others.
They’ve told me, “You are the best person, mom.”
I’ll take it.