Is having a 3 month old too young to start nursing school?

HikingNurse8789 · Sep 12, 2016

If you have a good delivery and a fairly easy infant you should be fine to start. With baby being that young, you will have plenty of time to study. I had my third in the middle of pre reqs so i never took time off. Our son was born only 3 weeks early but suffered GI complications as a result. I had 2 healthy babies previously so it was a shock when I had an infant that screamed 24/7 for 4 months. I made it through the pre req class but if I would have in the actual program I am in now I wouldn't have made it. Not trying to freak you out but I would take into consideration that deliveries don't always go as they should for mom and baby which could impact your ability to give 100% that's needed to pass nursing classes.

AlmostANurse321 · Sep 12, 2016

It's doable. I started my accelerated nursing program with a 4 month old and a two year old. I have a 3.77 GPA and haven't slept in 8 months.

NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN · Sep 12, 2016

I, personally, couldn't have done it. No sleep = no brain function, at least for me. Plus 60 hours a week for the program. I would have been physically, emotionally, and mentally wrecked. I'd have failed out for sure. I know some have done it with a ton of help from family. I commend them. But there's no way I could.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Sep 12, 2016

In general, younger babies are easier to study with than active toddlers. I have birth to my first while in school; I studied while she napped, after she went to bed, and even read my patho notes to her for story time. :woot:

I also worked part time as a CNA. I was there when she laughed for the first time, took her first steps, rolled over, tasted baby food. I missed her first smile -- it happened while I was in the shower.

My youngest is 3 now, and I'm not sure I could do nursing school over unless I put him in daycare, at least part time. Toddlers are soooo active, impulsive, and don't have a sense of personal safety. The one that tells them "if you can't swim, don't jump in the pool," or "don't George Mallory your way up the refrigerator," or "Mommy will be upset if you use her nail polish to color the carpet."

Nurse2BeCam, ADN · Sep 12, 2016

Ill be starting a bsn program with a 4 year old, an almost 3 year old, and an 10 month old. Oh and I'm single :up: you can do this momma!

KarenMS · Sep 16, 2016

I started my program last year with a 2 year old and a 3 month old baby. I've done really well, mostly thanks to a great support system. If you have that, you'll be fine.

augurey · Sep 17, 2016

It truly depends on you and what kind of support system you have.

When I started my program my daughter had just turned 2, and then I had my son at the beginning of the fourth week of the first semester. He had a dairy protein allergy which would have him screaming 24/7 during his first month of life before he was diagnosed. On top of that he had bad reflux, so even with the dietary changes he was still a miserable mess and wasn't gaining weight very well. Still screaming almost 24/7. Not quite as much as before diagnosing the dairy protein allergy, but close.

It's been hard. Very hard. My husband and mom have been the two most important people that have done so much so I could get through school. Without them, my husband especially, I don't think I could have done it.

I have people tell me all the time that they don't know how I do it. I tell those that work and go to school that I don't know how they do it. Or those that have kids, work, and go to school whether married or single. My classmates and I say those things to each other. I think it's more about your perspective, how you handle it, and the kind of support system you have.

As far as missing milestones... it absolutely can be hard. My summer semester was 10 weeks which included finals week within that 10. I hardly saw my kids as I was at school almost 24/7. I'd talk to my husband briefly on the phone, and he'd tell me how my son was doing something new. I had to be in clinical the morning that my son was getting tubes in his ears. While I know it's a simple and quick procedure, he'd never had general anesthesia. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be able to hold him after.

Summer semester was very hard academically as there was so much to do, but it was the time spent away from my kids and missing my son's milestones that hit me the hardest. There were days I cried because I felt so much guilt. In the end, I knew that this was my sacrifice for them. From where I was at before going to school to where I could be after, I can provide them with a better life. Even though it's been hard, it'll be worth it in the end. The time that I do have with them, which is a little more now, I do everything to make it count.

I also wasn't in a position to be able to put school off any longer. My family was, and still is, relying on me getting through school.

Whether you push school back a year or not is a personal decision, one that we cannot decide for you. It absolutely can be done with having an infant at home. It's absolutely hard, but it's also doable. It depends on you, your family, etc.