Pregnancy and Nursing School

[Daeny]

Hello All -

I just recently found this message board and have been reading and educating myself. You all sound so knowledgeable and caring....

My question relates to the issue of pregnancy in nursing school. I am currently first semester in an ADN program. I also just got married in November. My husband and I are both in our 30's and would like to try to have children right away instead of waiting 2 years for me to finish school. We have been together for 6 years already and we plan on having more than one child and I really don't want to get into the "high-risk" category by waiting too long.

I would like your honest opinions on whether it would be realistic to attempt 2nd and 3rd semester while pregnant. I already know that the instructors discourage it and will not allow you into certain patient care settings such as psych. I also am aware of all of the physical discomforts (nausea, fatigue) that accompany pregnancy and will probably be exacerbated by the stress. And yes, I obviously am aware that the truly "smart" thing to do would be to wait until school is done. I do have some acquaintances who have done it, but I get mixed opinions on just how difficult it was to handle.

Am I foolish to think I could handle both things at once? Have any of you carried this off successfully (no pun intended)?

I would like to hear both pros and cons - so give it to me straight -I can take it!

Thanks in advance for your input!

Daeny

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I think everyone here is pretty honest. I did LPN school when my boys were 5 and 10, RN when they were 7 and 12 and now they are on their own and I'm back for combined BSN/MSN. Good luck...

[LauraLou]

Sorry this is so long and rambling...

I have been having the same debate as the OP, but for me age is more of an issue. Over the years my husband and I have discussed having children, but we weren't sure if we really wanted to and it always seemed like we had lots of time.

Well, now I am 35 and in my first semester of nursing school. If I wait until I graduate, I will be 37. I don't know if it is any less risky to be pregnant at 35 than 37, but the extra two years certainly can't help.

I have read a lot about having your first baby over 35 and there is higher risk for complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, etc. That means that I would probably have a harder time trying to go to school while pregnant than someone younger.

What I can't decide is if it is better to wait two years and be pregnant at 37 or try to go to school while pregnant at 35. Neither seems a particularly good option. Quitting school and having a baby and then going back isn't an option. We can't afford for me to not work that long and have to pay for 2 years of daycare for while I am in school.

My husband wants to wait until I am out of school. He doesn't think 2 years will make much of a difference. I just don't know what is best.

[RENAISSANCE RN]

Hi,

I don't want to discourage anyone, however it is a real crap shoot. I am having a lot of depression and emotional problems ( hormonal). It is very difficult to concentrate. Hopefully it will get better after the baby is born.

[nursenatalie, ADN, RN]

I would not recommend planning a pregnancy in nursing school. Your health status cannot deteriorate THAT much in a couple of years. I was almost six months pregnant when I graduated, it was hard to do the schooling and get the rest I needed. It was harder taking the NCLEX (with the pregnancy dementia) and working as a new grad while pregnant. I began night shift at 32 weeks pregnant, worked nights on Tuesday night and was in labor all day Wednesday...It can be done but I wouldnt PLAN it that way.

[nursecompassion]

Hello,

I am married with two boys 5 and 1 and recently my dh and I found out that we are expecting our third child probably the very first or second week of nursing. (end of september)

Now, I have been going to this school for three quarter and by summer all of my general ed requirements will be done and my pre-reqs are already finished.

I am just worried about my due date!

My husband is a stay at home dad, so I don't have too worry about babysitters or any of that. He also cleans house etc.

However, I know teachers are tough and I am justing hoping that i can not miss any classes at all!

I just got my letter saturday making my way into the fall class official and i am not about to stop now!

jules

[loriLPN]

i had a miscarriage at 16 weeks in my last semester, the morning of a miss-and- die exam. i actually considered going to school WHILE I WAS LOSING MY BABY because the exam was so important. i ended up at the hospital because the bleeding was too much...people would notice.

that day counted against me as an unexcused absence because the only excused absence was a death in the family.

god forbid this would happen to you, but if it did, could you handle that and your case study due by friday?

[chickenbee]

My pregnancy came as a very pleasant surprise. I had just transferred from a university on the other side of the state. My husband and I moved so he could go to grad school. Well, I was notified that I had been accepted into the BSN program, and at the same time I found out I was pregnant. I was torn, however, the professors told me that they would work with me. So I went for it.

I went to all of my classes on my due date...it was the right in the middle of my first semester in the program. I took two weeks off. I missed three final exams and a couple of quizzes, however, my professors were so very understanding. I made them up them up by the end of the month.

I nursed my son for approximately 6 months. I was able to pump during all of my clinical rotations in L&D. Luckily, my pump was compatible with the hospital grade....I could just bring my attachments and connect.

Know that I had many sleepless nights. My son did not sleep through the night until he was one. Money was a little tight, but we made it work.

I had a very healthy pregnancy, and I mananged to keep my grades up. It is doable, but also a challenge

[SmilingBluEyes]

Originally posted by loriLPN

i had a miscarriage at 16 weeks in my last semester, the morning of a miss-and- die exam. i actually considered going to school WHILE I WAS LOSING MY BABY because the exam was so important. i ended up at the hospital because the bleeding was too much...people would notice.

that day counted against me as an unexcused absence because the only excused absence was a death in the family.

god forbid this would happen to you, but if it did, could you handle that and your case study due by friday?

If a 16 week demise is NOT a death in your family, then what the HELL IS?

This is the least compassionate school I have heard of to date.

I think the majority here seem to agree it is foolish to PLAN a pregnancy in nursing school. See what can happen to you?

[kimtekut]

I loved to read your posting..thanks. it helps me a lot.

[BRANDY LPN]

I did it, it sucked. My water broke my 2nd day of clinicals, at 35 weeks. I had my dd on a Wed. and was back in class Mon. morning, had to miss 6 weeks of clinicals, and then scramble to make them up before grad. I spend all of those 6 weeks in a empty class room working on keying tests and doing computer work. My mother kept my children, the newborn and my then 2 y/o.

There is NO WAY I would volunteer to put my self back in that position. Up all night with a newborn and her 2y/o brother, neither of who slept throught the night at that time then going to class/clinical all day, I have never felt so bad, and was like a walking zombie by graduation. But I did do it, so you could to but why anyone would choose to is beyond me.

[np2b]

Just to add one more story...

A girl in my program became pregnant early on in our accelerated (16 mo) BSN program. No one thought she'd do it, but we're just a month away from graduation and she'll still with us. From what I can tell, the things she had going for her were a.) enough flexibility with most instructors who allowed her to put in clinical hours pre-delivery and make up exams later; b.) a lot of support from the school (I think she got a breast pump and was able to find child care through resources there); c.) a very supportive family; and d.) not having a type-A personality. (I know it sounds really ridiculous to say it, but if it had been me, I would have had a hard time letting my GPA slide, which I think is almost inevitable when you suddenly have very new and important priorities.)

On the other hand, another girl I know put off going to nursing school because, in her mid-30's, she was having difficulty conceiving and wanted to pursue some fertility options. She told me that if this is something my husband and I wanted, we shouldn't wait.

Best of luck with your decision!