My fiance and I want to have a baby. Our original plan was to wait until I'm out of school but I grad 12/2016. Next month I'll be 30 and he'll be 40. The way I see it is if we wait it'll be another 3 years. Two years to finish school and at least 1 more year to start working because I don't want to go into a new job pregnant. I rather start working with a baby between 1-2 years old.
We've discussed it and he will be willing to get me a nanny and carry the both of us financially so I won't have to work but a few hours a week so that I could be home with the baby and study. Is this crazy?
We are gonna TTC between late July thru October so that I'd end up with a summer break due date. If my due date is mid May I'd be able to spend at least 2.5 months with the baby before I'd have to go back to class in August. How hard is it to be pregnant while in nursing school? I figure it will be a lot harder to be pregnant when I'm an actual RN. Plus I won't want to rush back to work afterwards. This is probably crazy but we both have baby fever LOL. My BSN is calling me but so is motherhood. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!
I found out I was pregnant last November. I was just about to take the TEAS test for my local community college but decided not to because I knew it would be too difficult.
It turned out to be a good decision because I have been to the ER many many times, I was admitted a handful of times & put on bed rest the last month. There would've been no way for me to handle being pregnant & nursing school.
I knew my pregnancy wouldn't be a breeze but I didn't think it would be THIS complicated. Even if you already had a baby & it went smoothly, every pregnancy is different. If you can, just wait.
Wow. I just figure because I have no health issues it is unlikely I'd end up with trouble for the majority. Sorry to hear yours went that way. Hopefully it was worth it.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Wow. I just figure because I have no health issues it is unlikely I'd end up with trouble for the majority. Sorry to hear yours went that way. Hopefully it was worth it.
Just because you don't have any health issues now doesn't mean you or the baby won't during. You could develop pre-eclampsia or any other condition. Your body can only handle so much stress. I would never choose to get pregnant during nursing school.
I'm due next week & couldn't be more excited. I'm going to apply for fall 2015 so it will give me time to bond with my baby & get a routine down.
I was pregnant my last year of nursing school. It wasn't planned, I also already had a two year old. I didn't worry about the possible problems that could have arisen, such as pregnancy complications. I was having contractions during my graduation and delivered a week later. I sat for my boards two weeks after that. Looking back, I don't know how I did it. I guess I was a little naive but it worked out fine.
I had a healthy classmate get pregnant during nursing school and because of a difficult pregnancy, she delivered early and had to drop out 2 weeks before finals....of our last semester. She was able to graduate a year later but you never know what might happen.
I found it not difficult to be pregnant in school (#2). It would have been a lot harder to have a BABY in nursing school. I did that, but I was only part-time for the first three quarters, then off for summer, and it was grad school.
Yes I know there's a possibility of a troubled pregnancy. My thought on that is I am a healthy person with absolutely no health issues. That's not to say it's impossible to have trouble though. Grrrr it IS something to think about though. Thanks!
Definitely consider this. Pregnancy isn't always pleasant. I am healthy, fit, etc. not only did I have terrible morning sickness but I ended up on bed rest for 10 weeks d/t preterm labor. Then there is the whole issue of having a newborn while trying to study. Being pregnant and being a new mom is HARD. It can be done, but I would just be prepared for every curveball to come your way and have backup plans.
Yes I know there's a possibility of a troubled pregnancy. My thought on that is I am a healthy person with absolutely no health issues. !
Take it from a former OB nurse....your current state of health means very little. Pregnancies are all VERY different, and much of what happens during and after conception is a crap-shoot. Sure, being healthy, immunized, the right weight, full of Folic Acid and free of all diseases is a GREAT start, but anything can still happen. You are an adult and will make your own choice, but you did ASK...
PS...and if you are one of the 30% or so of women with severe morning sickness, your own body may cause you issues. I was hospitalized twice for hyperemesis, and MOST women are incredibly tired the first trimester.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
PPS....any reason you are not getting married first? I may be old fashioned, but it seems like you are putting the cart in front of the horse.....and I have seen so very many "fiances" walk out of the picture.
I am in the same position. My husband and I want to try for baby number 2 in a few months to deliver late May early June (summer break). I am already a mom to a 18 month old so I don't have to worry about the "new mom" thing. Been there done that but I have been reading a lot of these posts, some good stories some not so good stories. In my opinion, I am committed to nursing school but I am more committed to my family. Due to a significant age gap in my husband and myself we don't want to wait for another baby.
Now with my first baby, I had what I would consider to be a "perfect" pregnancy but I also understand not all pregnancies are easy. If this one is anything like my first then being pregnant in nursing school is totally doable. Having a newborn during school especially as a first time mom will be tough but not impossible. In my case, if all goes according to plan I would only have a newborn during my last semster. I hear the last semester is the easiest simply because by then you should have a good amount of knowledge under your belt.
I think being a new nurse would be harder than a nursing student simply because you most of the time have to complete an internship lasting 6-12 months. My current job also offers my a paid 3 month leave opposed to most places offering only 6 weeks.
If it is up to me, I say go for it girl! My momma told me you never know what could happen (horrible car accident, cancer, etc) that could prevent you from having a baby down the road but that may still allow you to go to school. You would regret it later. If you have to take a semester off, so what? It's one semester out of 60+ years of your life! You earned your spot in your program and as long as your program is willing to allow you to keep it then go for it! Good luck and I wish you the most success! :)
PPS....any reason you are not getting married first? I may be old fashioned, but it seems like you are putting the cart in front of the horse.....and I have seen so very many "fiances" walk out of the picture.
Ouch, that is harsh and a bit personal. OP, I say husband but we are not actually married, but we do everything and have everything a married couple does. Just because it is not on a piece of paper doesn't mean anything. For us, marriage financially would not be smart as I would lose my financial aid and for that reason it doesn't make sense to get married right now. But I also am not real open to marriage. 1 in every 2 marriages fail, thats 50% chance the odds are not in your favor. Why add that pressure.
Just had to add my two cents :) No disrespect but I think we should stick to the original posters concerns and not judge.
I haven't read through all of the comments, but I feel like those who choose to TTC during nursing school really underestimate both nursing school and pregnancy.
You said that being pregnant during nursing school would be easier than being pregnant while working as a nurse? I would VEHEMENTLY disagree. Even if you have a complication-free pregnancy (which, of course, you cannot guarantee), you are exhausted beyond anything you've ever known. While working as a nurse, work can be modified, and when you get home, you're home. You aren't trying to write a 5 hour paper on your clinicals for the week, coordinate a group paper, read 12 chapters for this week's lecture, study for an exam, AND manage marriage and a household.
I don't have to tell you the myriad of complications that can occur with pregnancy, but I GUARANTEE you that your instructors will see you as not being as motivated as classmates who have waited, and may or may not be accommodating if you need to withdraw and start again next semester/year. You will miss out on opportunities to learn certain procedures or skills because it's too much for someone who's pregnant, or you can't stand that long without passing out.
We planned to have our kids closer together, but chose to wait. I just graduated, I'm 34, and my son will be 6 in August. We still aren't planning to try until I've been working and have established myself in my job, and we're good financially. It would be irresponsible, IMO, to try before then.
With my first pregnancy, I was in good health, but I had reflux, which meant that I would vomit with about 5 seconds notice. No nausea, just suddenly vomit. Also, I worked as a phlebotomist, and the bending over the draw blood KILLED my back as my stomach grew. His position was posterior, so I'm sure that exacerbated that issue. I had to be taken out of work at 6 months because by the end of my shift, I was in tears from the pain. Also, because of his position (posterior, head tilted to the side, cord entanglement), his HR dropped into the 20s during delivery, and I am VERY lucky that he was ok after a crash c-section. NO WAY could I have returned to school recovering from that and the depression from everything that had happened (labor was ROUGH). He did almost end up in the NICU because his blood sugar dropped from breastfeeding challenges after all of the complications.
You just don't know what can happen until it's happening. Don't risk it.
The other option, which is what I did with baby #1, is wait on nursing school. Once he was a few months old, I went back to school part time, and eased my way back in.
Remember, there is only so much of you to go around. You can do a lot of things half-rear-ended, or you can do a few things very well. Both nursing school and new babies require a ton of time, and in both cases, significant others feel neglected, so I cannot IMAGINE the combination of the two. Regardless of which you choose to do first, I would HIGHLY recommend doing them one at a time.
Its a tough decidion, both pp brought up good points, in the end its you and your fiance's decision. I wish you luck on whichever path you decide to take.
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Yes I know there's a possibility of a troubled pregnancy. My thought on that is I am a healthy person with absolutely no health issues. !
but I have been reading a lot of these posts, some good stories some not so good stories. In my opinion, I am committed to nursing school but I am more committed to my family. Due to a significant age gap in my husband and myself we don't want to wait for another baby.
2bNurseHammonds
15 Posts
Wow. I just figure because I have no health issues it is unlikely I'd end up with trouble for the majority. Sorry to hear yours went that way. Hopefully it was worth it.