Am I crazy?

SunshineDaisy, ASN, RN · Mar 24, 2012

It'll be hard, but it CAN be done. Yes, nursing school requires A LOT of time, but it's for a limited amount of time. You will have to study, as it's hard to pass without it, so you will have to set a schedule. Maybe do the majority of your studying during naps or his bed time. I am in my second semester, and I don't spend hours upon hours of studying, but I do spend some time doing it, usually at night after my kids go to bed (they go to bed at 8). If I have a test coming up then of course I spend more time studying, and usually away from home. Does it suck? Sometimes, but you gotta do what you gotta do to make the grades to pass! Are you planning on having more kids? If so then I would finish school before baby #2 because it is more difficult with 2, IMO.

awheat · Mar 25, 2012

An adult can put off immediate gratification. If you can buckle down for a couple of years and instead of "doing other things" get a great education that will allow you to be a role model for your child and provide a stable environment then the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby is to "truthfully put your mind to it". You CAN do it. Thousands in your situation do it every year. It is possible and you will NOT regret it.

LOjesjdatVE · Mar 25, 2012

Thanks y'all. I will enjoy looking back on this in the future!

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2012

I just always looked at the women who had 2-3 kids, and worked, comparing my plight to theirs, I never had the :redbeathe to complain.

RN/Mom · Mar 25, 2012

You CAN do it, but it won't be easy (just being honest). I also practice attachment parenting and was still breastfeeding my then-13 month-old when I went to LVN school a few years back. It was very hard to leave my baby for 8 hours a day, but thankfully it was always with family, so I could call and check in on my breaks. I remember having to pump the first few weeks during my lunch break to prevent engorgement (because I was still nursing multiple times a day at that point), but my supply decreased on it's own pretty quickly. I would nurse my baby in the morning before leaving, and on-demand whenever I was at home. I didn't want my baby to feel forced into weaning before he was ready, and he didn't -- I was still nursing him at the age of 4 when he finally decided he was done.

The hard thing is finding time to study without being tired. What worked for me was taking a nap with my baby when I got home in the afternoons and putting him to bed super early (6 pm or so). That would give me quiet time to study until about midnight or so. I did everything I could to make his routine as normal as possible, which meant a lot of sacrificed sleep for me. You get used to the sleep deprivation after a while, though (I do, anyways).

You really just have to find the right balance between school and family time and figure out what works for you. You might have to let a few things that are important to you now (e.g., cloth diapering) slide once you're in school and pressed for time (I don't know if you're anything like me, but I let laundry pile up when I'm stressed). You will also need lots of help from your husband and family, so prepare them ahead of time for what to expect.

It will be hard, but you definitely CAN do it. I'm now in an LVN-RN program and close to half of my female classmates are wives and mothers, and many of us work on top of that. We complain all the time to each other about how hard it is, of course, but we're making it through! :)

macgirl · Mar 25, 2012

i think you can do it, others in my class did it. the key is figuring out when and how to study. the first semeter will be the hardest! it's all about pacing yourself. i found out that studying a week before the test worked out best for me. and index cards for drugs ect. i tried a lot of things, after a bit of time i discovered notes, index cards and power points weren't very helpful. reading the material once, even twice was way more effective. you will stress out and perhaps even cry at some point during your first semeter. after that you will learn with every test what works for you. finding balance in your life will be the same.

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 25, 2012

unquestionably, if i did it as single father of 3, and working, i have no doubt that you can do it as well. undoubtedly, there will be times that you will question your capabilities, however, that's when you need to make it happen not only for your child but for yourself. wishing you the very best always...aloha~

Jess.R.N. · Mar 25, 2012

Nursing school is do-able with kids. One of my girls was an infant and the other just started kindergarten when I was just beginning and it was rough!! But in the end will pay off... I work 3 12's and love the fact I have 4 days off a week to spend with my kids!

One of my nursing school instructors once told us, "You will get out of it what you put into it" so studying is very important- not only in school but for your NCLEX exam as well!! As you get farther into your program, you develop your own methods that work for you and eliminate the ones that don't.

Lots of luck to you!

merlee · Mar 25, 2012

So, if you want, you have about 4-5 months to wean and toilet-train your child. If you had more children, this one would have already been weaned, and you would be desperate to get him trained. Wean directly to a cup, not a bottle. It is possible.

Or don't.

It's all up to you.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2012

oops....

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2012

Well, you won't be able to "wear him" to school and breast feed on demand as you will be away from him for 8 hours or so a day. You may want to start to potty train him for it will be one less task to accomplish and less laundry. You may also want to start wearing him a little less and leaving for short periods of time so it isn't such a shock to him that suddenly......You're gone. :eek: That is a perfect set up for a meltdown, screaming hysteria on a 2 year old. When they aren't happy aint NOBODY happy!! :bugeyes:

Nursing school is VERY difficult and demanding as is being a nurse. You are going to need a lot of help from your husband/significant other and family. Nursing IS hard and you will have to study......a lot. Start getting your son familiar with books, studying, computers and your attention being divided. I worked nights throughout my children's infancy and childhood (girl and a boy.....11 months apart).

They knew their Momma was a nurse and I kissed BooBoo's, But I was home every morning, afternoon and night. I was there when they woke up and when they went to sleep, when they napped I napped. Was it hard? YES. Was I exhausted? YES Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. They turn 15 and 16 in April.

They laugh that they didn't think I left the house when they were little that I went to work in the garage or something because they never saw me leave....I just seemed to always be there. They have never spend not one second in daycare and have always been cared for by my husband or I. I am very close to my teenagers and we love each other....ask them they'll tell you.

Being a nurse did that for me. :loveya:

You wanted quotes.....

1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things".

“What is worth having is worth working for.”

― Philip Pullman

"Nothing will work unless you do"

Maya Angelou

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a b!^ch. You have to go out and kick a$$".

Maya Angelou

"For when we know better we do better".

Maya Angelou