I am 29 and turn 30 in Sept. My husband and I want to start a family. He is in school for another 2 yrs to get his Bachelors. I am currently working full time on a Med Surg Unit.
I am debating whether I should start and finish my ARNP before we start a family or start a family and then go for my ARNP.
Have any of you went to school with children or finished before planning a family. I am torn in my decision and would appreciate your advice
I am a full time student in an FNP program and I work full time night shifts. I am 26 weeks pregnant and will finish school next year in August. My baby will be 1 by then. The first half of the program is extremely paper intensive with no exams (in my program), so being pregnant while taking classes and working is doable, but yes, it is stressful. The reason I went ahead and planned to start a family was for personal medical reasons (I only have a short window to have healthy pregnancies due to medical history). It helps that I have an extremely supportive fiance as well, who will transition to work from home. I attend an online program with 2 brick and mortar locations within 20 miles of where I live, so I have access to those facilities as well. I do plan to work part time after I come back off of maternity leave, as I will be in clinicals by then. I am also going to continue through the program without stopping, because I will still have 1 online class to take before clinicals. Another reason why I took both plunges at the same time, is that I didn't want to wait to provide a better life for my family. If all else fails, you could start trying sometime around your last semester, that way you can start a family soon after graduation. Keep in mind that this is a highly personal topic and some self reflection is required, but with the right support system, you can do it!
In my FNP there was a student who was pregnant, she delivered and did not miss a beat. If you have a great support system go for it. If your pregnancy is uneventful you can start back to school in no time and be on disability from work for months. Either way the decision is up to you. :-) Wishing you good luck :-)
athomas2244
108 Posts
Hello!!
I am a full time student in an FNP program and I work full time night shifts. I am 26 weeks pregnant and will finish school next year in August. My baby will be 1 by then. The first half of the program is extremely paper intensive with no exams (in my program), so being pregnant while taking classes and working is doable, but yes, it is stressful. The reason I went ahead and planned to start a family was for personal medical reasons (I only have a short window to have healthy pregnancies due to medical history). It helps that I have an extremely supportive fiance as well, who will transition to work from home. I attend an online program with 2 brick and mortar locations within 20 miles of where I live, so I have access to those facilities as well. I do plan to work part time after I come back off of maternity leave, as I will be in clinicals by then. I am also going to continue through the program without stopping, because I will still have 1 online class to take before clinicals. Another reason why I took both plunges at the same time, is that I didn't want to wait to provide a better life for my family. If all else fails, you could start trying sometime around your last semester, that way you can start a family soon after graduation. Keep in mind that this is a highly personal topic and some self reflection is required, but with the right support system, you can do it!