Nursing school and my biological clock...pls reply if you can

[RN2Be77]

Hi everyone. I was accepted into an ABSN program which I am suppose to begin this fall. It's a one year program. When I start the program I will be 31 years old and when I finish I will be 32. I guess my main concern is after I pass the NCLEX and land a great job, how much time into that job will I have to wait before getting pregnant? I know like most jobs there will be a probation period, but I just don't want to wait too long to begin trying to conceive after I finish nursing school, considering I would like to have three kids. My husband and I were going to start trying to conceive this year for our first child, however when I found out I was accepted into nursing school, we both agreed that I should go forward with school and we'll begin our family once I'm done. Any advice from someone that has been in this boat before or probably thinking about a situation like this too? Appreciate it.

[45whenimdone]

i had my first kid at 31 and my last at 39. (4 total)... you can graduate and still work a good 4-5 years before you have a kid... pending on how many you want... that's my 2 cents.

[learningmom]

I wrote this amazing reply but pressed on the wrong button! aargh

Alright here's the thing.

1 - Nursing school is an educational bootcamp. If you have the choice of pursuing it with or without responsibility(kids). I say get it out of the way 1st. Then enjoy your family planning together as a couple. You can read tons of threads about moms with guilt trips and stress overload whilst pursuing school with young kids.

2 - IF you feel you can wait for your school. Then by all means get started and build yourself a beautiful family. Remember now in my opinion it is ideal to stay home with kids for atleast ages of 2-3 yrs old. You can consider care providers after that. This scenario provides many good things too (believe it or not) Because now you have more reasons to succeed and be focused to build your career.

Remember a happy mom is a healthy mom. I say write down pros and cons for both decisions. Once you lean towards more, then take out another sheet of paper and write down all the reasons why you have chosen that option. Also end it with a positive note like, 'I am happy with my decision and have no regrets.' This way you can have a sense of control, in case you go in confusion and emo mode.

Hope this helps!

Mom of 2 (about to start nursing school)

[Trenata]

I saw your post a while back and wanted to reply, but I was unsure if I should say what think. I really think you need to decide what your priorities are based on your own personal goals. If having a family is it, then why wait - if being a nurse is more important, go for that first. However, there are no guarantees...

I have a different perspective. You never know what the future will hold is for sure! I had several losses (miscarriages) and one ectopic pregnancy. If I knew what I know now, I would have tried having babies sooner. However, I waited until I was 30 and was blessed with one child. It was important to me to have a family, more than anything else. So I regret not trying sooner. However, all to say, not having a big family is what lead me to a different path - NURSING...so that is my new goal.

Just a bit of a different perspective to consider. Good luck on your journey and decision!

[bubblejet50]

I found out I pregnant 2 weeks before we graduated. I was the 9th person in our class to get pregnant. I will say if you take nclex right away and land a job its not too bad. I graduated in may, took nclex in july, and got my current job in september. I was off probation bit had barely any pto saved and didnt qualify for fmla when I had my baby in january. I only took 2 wks off because the benefits are great here and I didnt want to lose them. We started trying when we did because my husband had only a 2% chance of having kids. We wanted to get our year of trying done so we could seek fertility treatment. 2 months later I was pregnant!