Nurses, should I have kids now--or later?

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I'm 26 years old and am at a crossroads--go back to school, or have a couple kids and be a stay at home mom for a while.

about me: I graduated with a bachelors in Psychology a few years ago, but I'm not using it. My husband is the breadwinner, but at some point in my life I wanna go back to school and have a career as well. I was thinking nursing since I love science and anything related to the body. Down the road, I could pursue psychiatric NP because there's a program locally that accepts RNs with non-nursing bachelors, so that's an option once I gained experience.

I have most of the prerequisites already done from previous schooling. The only problem is I've missed the cutoff date for the 2016 fall school year for the local nursing program, and would have to wait until 2017. I would be 30 by the time I graduated,

So my questions are:

1)Should I have kid(s) soon, and just go to nursing school in my mid 30s once they are school age? Or should I go to school now and push off having a family for a while?

2) once we start having kids, ideally I would like to be a stay at home mom until they were preschool age--if I were to do nursing school before kids, is it difficult to transition into a per diem job so that I can spend most of my time at home while they're super little?

3) is it worth it?

Also, I'm definitely not working once I'm back in school, so I figure the rigors of nursing school might be manageable even with kids. I don't know.

blech, I don't know what to do! What would you do? Sorry this is so long!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

What stood out is you hate behavioral issues with kids but want to be a psych NP????

Ummm sorry what am I missing here???? You do realize, there will be myriad behavioral issues with such people in your practice as a psych NP??? You might just want to shadow a psychiatric Nurse Practitioner to see if this is really what you want to do.

And there is NO convenient time to have kids, but nursing school is DEFINITELY not the time, if you can possibly avoid it. It's not just class room time, but clinicals that will really exact a toll on your time and energy. Sure, people have gone through nursing school pregnant, but it's very difficult and exhausting.

Do it before or after.

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Yes, I totally see your point! And while I truly do love the children I work with, as a TA, there's only so much I can do to redirect and try to de-escalate situations. I imagine it would be very stressful working without emotionally disturbed adolescents in a healthcare setting as well.

I would like to work with the geriatric population;I use to work with Alzheimer patients at a nursing home and I loved it! I didn't stay though because the pay was so poor, and at the time my husband didn't have a job. I had to deal with all sorts of crazy situations, but it was far less stressful than working in a school environment.

Thanks for the advice!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Maybe then you want to specialize in Geriatric NP nursing.

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I'm definitely exploring all of the options! I know I love geriatrics, so I'm going to go in that direction, whether it be in nursing, or some form of therapy. Do you enjoy your job as a nurse? I hear of so many RNs who dislike their job, it can be a little daunting.

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What stood out is you hate behavioral issues with kids

Where did the OP say this?

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If I were you I would do nursing school first. Get your ability to make more money before you need money to raise kids. This is, of course, just my personal opinion.

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I'm almost in the same boat... I'm 27 and hoping to start nursing school this year. I'm a newlywed and kids are definitely on both of our minds. I'm waiting until I'm done with school.

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Where did the OP say this?

The OP edited their post so maybe it was in the original.

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Specializes in Geriatrics,Hospice, Rehab.

I highly suggest that you go to school now and then have kids later. I'm on the same boat as you--I'm married and 27 years old. Nursing school is intense and clinicals are going to take a lot of your time.

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Hey there, I'm in the same boat. I'm 29 and am starting nursing school, but I would like a family one day. I have no children yet. My plan is to finish nursing school (or get close to finishing) then have kids. It's hard to balance work, school, and the desire for a family, but as I've spoken to a lot of working mothers, it's possible and there will never be a time that feels perfect for kids.

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Wait to have kids. I was in college straight out of highschool but I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do. I was basically going through the motions. Had I known what I wanted to do then, I would have finished then. Now, almost 11 years later....I have four kids and I'm just going back to school. I love my kids more than anything, but if I had a do over I would of jumped into nursing school BEFORE having them. Now I will have to find a way to juggle four kids (Aged 7, 5, 4 and almost 2) while going to school at the same time. I realize that I will miss out on some stuff over the next few years, but in the long run this is what's best for my family and my dream to be a nurse.

It took a little but of life to figure out what I'm passionate about, but now that I know I'm ready to get it started! It will be a slow process, because of the need to work and family life.

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