Having a baby summer before last semester??

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Hey everyone I know you have probably seen this post a million times already but I wanted to ask some fellow nursing students (or current nurses) if they have been in the same situation. My husband and I really want to try to have a baby in September. I start my med surg and psych clinicals then as well and then move onto OB/PEDS in Spring 2014. I would have the baby June of next year (god willing) and I graduate in December. I know it would be tough and tiring but I feel like I have a really great group of classmates that would help me out if needed and I am very committed to getting my degree. I am also a very good student and have family that could help out as well. I guess my quesiton really is, is it better to be pregnant in nursing school or as a new hire? I really wanted to do a fellowship that is a year long once I graduate and then I would need to have a job for a year to qualify for FMLA anyway so I figured it would be better if I just did it now? Anyone in a similar situation or was that made it through ok?? Thanks!!

There are so many variables that play into the situation. I say just wait & celebrate graduating nursing school by trying frequently to conceive hehe :yes:

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Here's my story. I graduate this summer. We started trying to have a baby at the point that I could graduate and still be pregnant. Having a baby while in nursing school? Would never be an option for us. Living on one salary is hard enough, but having to pay for daycare until I finished nursing school? That would be impossible. Also my husband is military, so we risked him being deployed and me doing everything alone. But timing it so that I could graduate while pregnant? That was the best idea for us. But even then I had to accept that I probably wouldn't get hired at 5 or 6 months pregnant.

And then my husband deployed so it didn't pan out anyway. :sarcastic:

It was a big decision for us to make. But our reasons went something like, "What's going to be, is going to be". Truly, anything can happen. That's a constant. You can be on bed rest. You can have morning sickness. Unrelated to pregnancy, you can probably trip, fall and break your leg and have to sit out a semester of clinicals as well. It is what it is. If you wait until after school, you can also be on bedrest as a first year nurse if you get pregnant.

What I mean to say is (and I'm sure your situation is way different than mine).. there is no perfect time to have a baby. Duh. If you want to have a baby, have a baby. As long as you're willing to accept you may possibly have a delayed graduation, some sleepness nights and things may go wrong.

Best of luck as to what you decide. But I don't think you'll find many people who willingly get pregnant in nursing school. But I do think you can find people who did, and everything turned out OK. On the flip side there are people who never came back to school after they had their baby. What's important to you? Baby fever is a real thing. LOL. I do plan on trying to have a baby when my husband gets back although I'll be a brand new nurse with a brand new job. Should I wait a year? Perhaps. But I'm getting older, my husband deploys so I'm not on the timeline of everyone else.. and truly, the chips are going to fall as they may. Have a baby if that's what you want. Just accept the reality of what may happen.

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Im not entirely understanding the reasons for having your first baby right now, but I say dont do it, whatever they are. Fjnish school, start working, worry about that, eaen time in and fmla and then get pregnant. It is hard having a kid. I wish to God I had gone "the proper route" and finished college before kids. As it is now I want another baby so bad (making 4) but it would push me over the edge to be pregnant and worry about school and work. Just wait.

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I have the same baby itch. I'm starting a one year accelerated program in Sept and my husband and I are thinking of trying next year so that the baby would be born a month or two after pinning (Oct). But someone made a point about swollen ankles etc. Though I would pray for a safe pregnancy, I know the body will do what it wants. I'm just going to leave it to God. Whatever happens will. I just pray it will be at a "good" time.

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I say go for it. If you were to listen to everyone in here you'd never have a baby because no time is a good time. Yes, pregnancy and newborns can be difficult, but just be aware if what you are going into, make sure your husband is supportive and you will be fine! You will make it work one way it another. So what if you have to graduate a semester later? You'll be able to find a job as soon as your done with school and not have to worry about starting a new job and being pregnant. Babies are awesome, enjoy it :)

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I had a baby the first week of my second semester of the Accelerated BSN pre-licensure portion of an entry level grad program. whew. There's a lot of reasons I was pregnant during nursing school, and I'd be happy to explain, but none of it's relevant to your question.

I have been able to stay in my program, and I haven't missed or deferred. Here are some factors that I think have contributed to my success:

1. Supportive spouse. Husband took 8 weeks off work to care for the newborn so I could return to class.

2. Supportive family. I have teenagers (2) who regularly help out, of their own volition. My sister lives literally around the corner and watches my baby for free. My parents are local and watch my baby for free. My husband and older children pick up the slack even when I'm home so I can study.

3. Supportive classmates. My entire cohort has been very supportive. They taped every lecture I missed the week I delivered. They took notes and brought them to me along with other materials, to my house. They help me get breaks to pump (I'm still breastfeeding). I could have deferred, but then I'd still have an infant, and a whole new group of people. These people have my back.

4. Supportive health care team, that cleared me for clinicals during the pregnancy and cleared me early to go back to class.

5. No stitches. Anywhere. If you catch my drift. Delivered a baby on a Tuesday, was back in clinical on Monday.

6. She was my 5th baby. I've done this before.

7. Completely complication free pregnancy. Frankly, it was boring. No swollen ankles at clinical. No bed rest. Nothing.

8. Easy baby. She sleeps good. She eats well. She doesn't get sick. Switches from breast to bottle and back again with a smile. She thinks the whole world is her party, and she's grateful you came.

Even in these fantastic circumstances, here are some problems I've encountered:

1. I've never left a baby. I couldn't now if I wasn't convinced that nursing school is God's plan for me right now.

2. I miss her terribly. FaceTime helps.

3. I have trouble finding places to pump. Employers are required to provide a place for breastfeeding women to pump, so even though I'm a student, such a place SHOULD exist. But they just don't. And as a student I'm not entitled to insist they comply with the law. I pump in my car a lot.

4. Nursing school is stressful. My milk supply isn't what it was when I stayed home with my other children, but I've still been able to exclusively breastfeed.

5. Even with my numerous options for childcare, I still occasionally have to figure out a sitter-related solution. I could not afford the care I get for free from my family. A couple of times, my husband has had to take a day off.

So, I'm not going to tell you what to do. It can work. It can be a disaster. Who knows how it will be for you. Some of the variables you can control for, some you can't. I agree with you that being pregnant and having a newborn during school doesn't seem much better or worse to me than doing it as a new employee, or an unemployed new grad looking for work.

I wouldn't trade this baby for anything; I can't imagine how I ever lived without her. Best of luck!

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