How are the pregnant students doing?

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I'm out of the first tri, so things are much better. I'm still beyond tired, but so far it hasn't been too bad.

And have you told people at school yet? I haven't told anybody! I'm 15 weeks with no bump at all, so I think I can at least keep it under cover for another few months.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

Congrats! Been there done that (& he turns 1 next month)!

Mine was totally unplanned & no one knew at school until I fainted! It wasn't that I was trying to hide it, but I wasn't 100% sure that I was truly pregnant - total denial & I'm on the wrong side of 30.

Not really a good idea to try to hide it from your instructors though, even if you're not looking pregnant yet. They need to know to be sure you don't come in contact with anything that is unsafe when giving your clinical assignments. For instance when I did my surgical rotation, I didn't get to observe a knee replacement because of the cement bonding agent that is used - very strong smell & has a pregnancy warning apparently. As far as telling other students, that's up to you. But as soon as they know, if they're anything like my fellow classmates, they'll be offering help all the time to make sure you aren't overdoing it, especially in the later weeks.

Good luck!

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Under normal circumstances I'd tell them (normal as in we were going to actually get to have access to lots of things) but they place us on super low need units where I'll be giving baths and pushing meds. So I won't be able to see much of anything.

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I found out about my pregnancy a few days before I found out I got into the nursing program...I told my instructor and they accomodated for my situation. It would be beneficial to tell your clinical instructor that you are pregnant, that way you don't get assigned to a patient that puts you at risk. It'll be easier on you over all, then you don't get the same work load as a non-pregnant student.

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I got pregnant during my Fundamentals course... I had to inform the dean in writing that I was pregnant, according to the rules in our Nursing Student Handbook, and provide a note from my doctor that I was able to continue in the clinical setting. I did this right after I had the first ultrasound around 8 weeks confirming the pregnancy & heartbeat. I also told my clinical instructor and eventually my classmates. When that semester ended, I was just beginning the second trimester. I was due in the middle of the next semester, after the withdrawal date, so I decided to take a year off so I wouldn't waste money/time/hurt my GPA/regret not spending enough time with my infant. It kinda hurt seeing everyone I started with finishing up last term, but I'm happy with my decision and I definitely think it was the right choice for my family.

My school makes no accommodations for pregnant students - they're expected to do exactly the same as everyone else in clinical. If your doctor says you can't do any lifting, then you are not excused from doing that. If you tell your instructor, they won't let you lift, and you will be marked absent for that day for non participation.

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I'm 20 weeks and I told my advisor. I just need to have my Dr. write a note that says I can participate in clinical. The only thing I've been struggling with is my morning sickness, but that passes before my class starts. I just get really tired from it all. I'm due in June, so it's good timing with it being between semesters.

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