Inspirational photo shows the real dedication of working moms
Dr. Megan Meier, an eight-month pregnant sports medicine and dance medicine physician in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, suddenly found herself without childcare just before the opening game of football season.
So, she strapped her 3-year-old on her back and hit the football field.
Meier, the volunteer doctor for the Putnam City North High School football team, originally shared the photo to the Facebook group Physician Mom Group (PMG). She captioned it, "Sports Medicine Doctor Mom--this is what happens when you are 35 weeks pregnant, husband leaves town for the weekend, childcare for 3 year old falls through, and you have a game to cover!"
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The photo went viral when Meier's friend Robin Schoenthaler shared it to Facebook.
"I posted this to a group of physician moms because I thought they would enjoy it--seeing a visual representation of what we all do each and every day," Meier wrote when she shared the photo publicly on Facebook.
Meier also wrote to Mashable to explain why she shared the photo.
"It was after I had finished covering the football game when a friend [Joseph Hoskins] texted me the picture that he captured of me examining a player on the sideline," she told Mashable. "I felt that the PMG mothers would find it funny because we have all been there. I posted it thinking maybe 10 people would see it and it really took off."
This was not Meier's first time making a sporting event a family affair.
"[My daughter] has been coming to sporting events with me since she was two weeks old," Meier told Mashable. "I cover sporting events on a volunteer basis after clinic hours so my husband will meet me with my daughter so we can spend some time together while I work. She seems to really enjoy sports which is great considering my field."
While balancing motherhood and a career takes a lot of work, Meier proves that it is possible.
"I really believe that you can have it all and find a great balance to a multi-faceted career and life. However, it takes a lot of hard work and improvisation at times," she wrote on Facebook.
"Finding that balance is the most challenging part. You can plan all day long but unforeseen circumstances always arise in both parenting and in medicine," Meier wrote to Mashable. "Both of these roles have taught me how to be flexible, resourceful and to ask for help when needed."
Meier's post is inspiring hardworking moms everywhere:
"[I]t takes a strong community of people supporting each other to make it work," Meier wrote.
"Thank you to Physician Mom Group (PMG) for 'getting it.' Thank you to all my family, friends and colleagues for all the love and shares. Thank you to the teams (that includes athletic trainers, coaches, players, and parents) that I cover, from PC North High School to the University of Oklahoma to the OKC Ballet--I appreciate your support of women (and their families) in medicine and in sports," her post reads.
"We have come a long way in 2016."
Topics Family & Parenting
Sophie was a Viral Content Intern for the Watercooler channel. More writing and other stuff by Sophie can be found at www.sophiehirsh.com.
