having a kid

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm not sure where the best place would be to post this but I want opinions from those who are already nurses. Currently I'm finishing my first semester of nursing school. I have 3 left to go. I have a son who will be one this month. My husband and I are trying to decide when is a good time to add anther child. I know I don't want to have another one while I'm in school. ( I wouldn't mind being in the early stages of pregnancy while in school but I don't want to have a newborn while in school)

We think about a 3-5 year gap between the two children is ideal. My question is in your opinion would it be better to try to get pregnant towards the end of school & have the baby before securing a nursing job. Or better to wait till I found ah job?

The obvious answer is wait till I've found a job but my last pregnancy I was pretty sick for it & I'm scared of 12 hour days while being pregnant I just don't know if my body could do that?

Money isn't an issue either way.

So since you actually work in the job what do you think? What would be better.. What might I be missing?

Yeah I know FMLA isn't paid I realize I didn't make that clear. What I meant was I might be able to find a job with a paid maternity leave if I waited.

I've heard it's not a good idea to wait to find a job after graduation. But I guess what it's coming down to assuming I can time it right would it be easier to start a new job & learn that job with a newborn/young baby & not have to work as a nurse being pregnant ( we won't have anymore kids after a 2nd one) or work as a nurse while pregnant.. When it might be similar to my last pregnancy that I was sick for.

I understand no one can make the decision but my family but when I was talking with my husband about it he suggested I try talking to those who are already nurses to see what their opioion was.

What part of the country are you in? Honestly I was worried about being "unmarketable" as an "old new grad", but I got a job sooner than a lot of my friends did who graduated with me and didn't have a baby- and I live in a part of the country that is saturated with nurses (especially new grads). I don't necessarily think that having a baby and waiting an additional 4-5 months will make a big deal in comparison to the rest of your cohort. Now, if you were hoping to stay home for a year or more, then It would be different.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I live in Ohio. With my son I only took 6 weeks off so if I could take 3 months off with another one I think I would be good. What about if I was interviewing for jobs but said I still couldn't start for another month.. For example say I had a baby in Jan. I interviewed for a job in February.. If I told them I couldn't start to sometime in March would they be less likely to hire me? I've only ever had one other job in my life ( I've been there for ten years) so I'm not sure about how bad that would look when interviewing!?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I live in Ohio. With my son I only took 6 weeks off so if I could take 3 months off with another one I think I would be good. What about if I was interviewing for jobs but said I still couldn't start for another month.. For example say I had a baby in Jan. I interviewed for a job in February.. If I told them I couldn't start to sometime in March would they be less likely to hire me? I've only ever had one other job in my life ( I've been there for ten years) so I'm not sure about how bad that would look when interviewing!?

If they were interviewing other people & they were are able to start in February, they probably wouldn't hire you. It does look good that you were at your job for 10 years but when hiring managers want to hire someone they want someone on board then, not in a month or some time.

I wanted to have my next child 2-3 years apart from my current. But because I'm going back to school & work, it seems they will be 3-4 years apart. I'm not willing to get pregnant in school or before I've been at my job for a year.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

It all depends...

If you can make it so you will be due a month or so after school will finish and then have the baby, wait a couple of months, and then look for a job then I say do that.

But... if you will need to seek nursing employment right away I would wait until you are at least 6 months to a year into a job prior to even trying for a second child.

Either way good luck!

Annie

Up Vote Up Vote ×

There are no guarantees in life, so if you want another baby, I would start trying now so you have time for treatments and such if you need them.

However, if you are super-fertile like my Mom was and get pregnant practically before you're naked, then I would aim for being pregnant the last semester of nursing school and having the baby during that down time while you are studying for NCLEX and job hunting.

I definitely would NOT tell a hiring manager that you would need a month before you could start. If they could wait a month, they wouldn't be interviewing yet.

I think the second best option would be to wait until you are already employed. I would suggest you time it so that the problem times of your pregnancy are at least a year past your hiring date so you can have FMLA to cover you when you need to be out. That way you aren't stressing about your job being available or for being fired for too many occurrences.

I can tell you anecdotally from experience that a longer gap between children helps them get along much better. My next brother and I are fifteen months apart and have fought like... well, there's no good simile. We fought a LOT. My youngest brother and I are six years apart and we were the staunchest of friends and allies.

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you everyone for the advice! I appreciate it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Okay, so everyone is different. Only you can make the decision as to when it will be right to have another child. Here's my advise. Don't get pregnant in nursing school. Pregnancies are unpredictable. You could have an easy pregnancy or you could be vomiting every day or even put on bed rest to prevent an early delivery (I was healthy prior to my pregnancy and had to lay on my left side for the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy before a scheduled C-Section because my almost 10 lb baby was too big for my body to handle). When I first graduated from nursing school I dealt with the transition from student to full time nurse. All I wanted to do was sleep. Then, when I had the baby years later, all I wanted to do was sleep. My first year was a transition from school to nurse and then I was fine. I would recommend waiting a year (If you could, not sure of your situation) just to make things less stressful for you. FMLA is only three months so if you have to stop work before the delivery and have exhausted all of your PTO time then the clock starts ticking. Something to keep in mind as hospital nursing is a job where we are on our feet 12 hours a day and lifting can sometimes be an issue, especially with a complicated pregnancy. I wish you and your future baby the best of luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment