Hello! I am curious to know if anyone has attempted nursing school while having a newborn baby? I am currently getting ready to start taking my last pre-req course before I apply for nursing school which starts this fall. I found out in January that my husband and I are expecting our second child, and have a toddler who will be 2 in July. I am hammering out the pre-req's, getting my GPA and points toward nursing school as high as possible, but now I am worrying and trying to decide what to do before it's too late to apply. My baby is due in September, the same month that nursing school starts. This is assuming that I am accepted. The only pre-req I have left is chemistry which, long story short, should have been taken care of a long time ago but I was not made aware of by my advisor until the last advising day this past fall quarter. Any spring credits that I take don't apply toward my pre-req's on my application... Chemistry is a must-have. Obviously this is a problem. However, I could potentially be accepted in the 2nd round of application reviews. My GPA is a 3.6 and I have not had to retake any classes that would count against me, so I stand a fairly good chance of getting in during the 2nd round if I do apply.
I am wondering if I should apply anyway and just see if I get accepted? However, I am worried that if I do get in and can't handle the stresses of having a newborn on top of a hectic school schedule that I'll fail out. I want to be an RN so bad I can taste it. I know that this is what I was meant to do. I'm starting to lean toward waiting a year and applying later once both babies are a bit older. I'll also have all the required courses out of the way at that time. The only thing I'm not real excited about is waiting another year. I'm 27 now. It's not like I'm fresh out of high school and attending a 4-year college where I would be a graduated RN, BSN by the time I was 22... Any advice from those who've been there? Thank you!
We are having a baby due August 30th (right around your due date). I have two prerequisites left before I can go to nursing school (micro and chem). I have decided to wait a bit before I apply. This will be our first child and I'm really not sure what I can handle. Since this is your second and you have experience as the mother of a newborn, you have more of an idea of what you can and can't handle. You know yourself. If you think you can handle it, then you should do it. If your husband is supportive, even better. I for one would not be able to handle it but that's just me!
Being a first time mother is tiring and difficult but oh so worth it! Congrats on your little one. I think truly my best option is to just wait for a year. I was thinking of using my CNA to work a little once the baby is a bit older to keep it current and get more experience under my belt before nursing school, which is looked favorably upon.
If you can afford to stay home that first year you should definitely do it. Echoing another poster you will never get this time back. Having a newborn and a toddler is very stressful and nursing school is very stressful. Thats a lot of stress on your shoulders. I know it can be done, but if you don't have to do it you should wait. Nursing school will always be there, but babies don't stay babies.
Also consider that this is really your last chance to stay home for quite a while.
It's very true. My daughter's first year flew by and we will never get to experience that again. I adore the little lady she is growing up to be but still wish I could have stayed home with her during her first year instead of having to work. I missed so much in the 8 hours that I was gone each day. I feel like I will be fortunate to have the opportunity to stay home with baby #2 and not have to send him/her to daycare. This is our last child, so I want to soak up all the new babyness as much as I possibly can. You ladies have been very helpful in helping me to make my decision. Thank you!
I was about to apply to a bridge program but then I found out I was pregnant with my first child due in July, the program starts in August. I knew I wanted to be there for my newborn. So I decided to delay applying until the end of this year for the fall of 2015. I have been an LVN for 4 years & my best friend got her RN-BSN not long ago. So I am dedicated to get my RN! My boyfriend got a great job & I have an awesome support system as well. I know delaying school for 1 year isn't gonna kill me.
Congrats on your little one! My first was born in July also. :) I think the biggest factor in my decision is that if I go right into nursing school, I will literally miss the baby's first everything. The newborn stage is so special and they grow so fast... I would hate to miss that. Like you say, a year isn't going to kill me either. :)
Congratulations on expecting your next child. As many have said, it's truly up to you to decide. I've had a subsequent child born with a much more demanding disposition, and juggling a toddler to boot was very tiring when I went through it. As far as waiting that whole year waiting to get in, an idea I have is maybe doing nonmedical personal caregiving. Maybe on an incredibly part time basis, filling in for people as needed after your baby gets a bit bigger and you can arrange . That way you can get some experience dealing with clients and becoming familiar with assisting with daily living, ambulating, toileting, feeding and things like that. I've enjoyed doing this and feel it will be invaluable experience for when I begin nursing school in the fall.
I think that is exactly what I will do. Probably use my CNA once baby is a little older so that I can keep it current and gain more experience. I only used it for about 6 months and have had it for over a year. I live in a rural area so I think people in need of home health care around here would like to have someone local to take care of them, too. Thanks for your advice. :)
I only have one and my son is now 8. I could not even imagine trying to do nursing school with a newborn and a 2 year old. I thought I was never going to make it through my son's first 4 mos. of life. He never slept and neither did I. That saying that all babies do is eat, sleep, and poop is a bad lie!!! No matter what I tried my son would not sleep anywhere but on my chest. Of course that meant no sleep for me. I also had post partum and wanted to kill my husband. I really wanted to hurt him for real. I think once you get past the 6 month mark, you would be ok to go school if you are super organized but I wouldn't before that. Good Luck and Congrats!!!
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Congrats on your little one! My first was born in July also. :) I think the biggest factor in my decision is that if I go right into nursing school I will literally miss the baby's first everything. The newborn stage is so special and they grow so fast... I would hate to miss that. Like you say, a year isn't going to kill me either. :)[/quote']
Thank you! Yeah, my boyfriend works in the oil field so he's gone for 2 weeks+ at a time so I don't want both of to be absent in the beginning. His mom & my mom are both super supportive but if I missed the first everything, I'd be devastated. I want to be an RN but being a mom comes first. Congrats on your new one!
I did it, and you can too if you really want it. Mine were a bit older when I started (3 year old and 2 month old), but essentially the same issue. I thought about waiting, but the best advice I got was that there will always be a reason to wait...my kids are too young..let's wait until they are in school...they have so many extracurriculars...They need money for their college...it goes on and on.
I'm not going to lie. It gets tough at times. But you just need to set a schedule for yourself and rules that you are not willing to compromise on. Mine were-no studying until the 3 year old went to sleep (7:45ish), and my bedtime is midnight no matter what. You will find what works for you.
Also talk with your hubby about a couple things he could that would help you out the most. If you want it bad enough you will make it happen. Good luck!
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I did it and you can too if you really want it. Mine were a bit older when I started (3 year old and 2 month old), but essentially the same issue. I thought about waiting, but the best advice I got was that there will always be a reason to wait...my kids are too young..let's wait until they are in school...they have so many extracurriculars...They need money for their college...it goes on and on. I'm not going to lie. It gets tough at times. But you just need to set a schedule for yourself and rules that you are not willing to compromise on. Mine were-no studying until the 3 year old went to sleep (7:45ish), and my bedtime is midnight no matter what. You will find what works for you. Also talk with your hubby about a couple things he could that would help you out the most. If you want it bad enough you will make it happen. Good luck![/quote']
If my baby would be born sooner than July, I would've applied. But I know I won't be ready in any shape to go back to school yet.
Thanks, you guys. It's really comforting to see that other people have been through this before too. It's just such a complicated decision to make because there are sacrifices that will have to be made no matter what I choose. My husband and I had a chat about it before he went to work this evening and he made the points that it will never be a better or easier time and there will always be something that will come up, possibly preventing me from going later on. I definitely don't want to wait any longer than I have to, either. I think I'll probably go ahead and apply and just see how it goes. Like I said, I can't possibly get in on the first round due to the chemistry issue, so it's more than likely that I won't have a choice but to wait a year anyway if I don't get waitlisted or accepted in the second round. However, if I do apply and get in, I will just have to adjust and make it work. Failure just won't be an option. I guess I won't ever know unless I apply, and I know I will have help from my family if I do manage to get in this fall. Thanks for all the support and advice. It means a lot to me!
The only advice I can give you is that you be completely aware that the next two years (give or take) are going to be intense. Be prepared for your relationship and sanity to be challenged. I haven't started the program yet but I couldn't fathom taking on new parenthood and the nursing program at once. And I threw the relationship thing in there not because I have experience but because I read about it a lot in these forums; you probably have as well. Also ask yourself if deferring your admittance by a mere year or so is really going to make the difference in terms of your future. I also support the statements that state you will never get this time back.
Do I think it's possible? Yes. But that answer is subjective and only you know the real answer for yourself. Even so, it's going to be tough. I wish you the best of luck!
ive heard of people working full time while going to school. i have classmates that have childrens of ages all across the board. ive heard of someone that was homeless throughout most of his time in the program and all have found a way to make it through. if its something you think you can handle, then do it. but ultimately its up to you. these days anything is "possible". is it a good idea, maybe for some, maybe not for others. But when there's a will, there's a way, and other cliches
I said go for it in the voting section but I changed my vote to wait. There will be well baby visits, breastfeeding, and all that stuff. You don't get that year back. Give your baby the best, your time! IF you can afford to wait, do so, you won't regret it. Heck, maybe even by then the job market will be better :)
NicoleLynch, ADN, BSN, RN
42 Posts
Being a first time mother is tiring and difficult but oh so worth it! Congrats on your little one. I think truly my best option is to just wait for a year. I was thinking of using my CNA to work a little once the baby is a bit older to keep it current and get more experience under my belt before nursing school, which is looked favorably upon.