Nursing school with young baby?

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Can it be done?? Our problem is that DH and I were planning to have children before I decided to go to nursing school. Now that I've found my career path I'm struggling between feeling like I'm choosing education over children or vice versa. We just never imagined having to wait until we were 30 to have kids, which is what it would be, me 30 and him 33. Now, trust me... I KNOW that's not old and plenty of people have children well into their 30's. It's just going against everything we have planned, so part of me feels like I'm not supposed to be a nurse if I want a family so badly. I have a year of prereqs so we were contemplating getting pg now and then starting nursing school a semester later. So the baby would be less than a year off if i started school one semester later than planned. Should I just give up one of my dreams?

I'm so confused right now. I feel like I'm being pulled in 2 opposite directions.

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No you should not give up on your dreams. you don't want to have your self wondering whether or not you would have been able to make it in nursing. I wouldn't condone going to school while pregnant though b/c it could get rough. I did get pregnant in nursing school (unplanned I was on birth control) and it was really tough for me physically. But once you have had the baby i think that you would be fine going on through with nursing school.

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I wouldn't condone going to school while pregnant though b/c it could get rough. I did get pregnant in nursing school (unplanned I was on birth control) and it was really tough for me physically. But once you have had the baby i think that you would be fine going on through with nursing school.

Thanks, I definitely wouldn't want to attempt that!

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I would also suggest that you do finish all prerequisites before entering nursing school. I made that mistake and I feel that it only added to my failing nursing school the first time. I was working full-time, going to two schools the communiy colloge for the prereqs and the nursing school for the nursing classes and I had clinicals to do. I often felt that if I had waited I could devote my time to just studing for nursing school instead of both nursing school and prereq classes. This next time for me will be better b/c all I have now are the nursing classes so all studing time came be devoted to that.

GoodLuck:up:

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

If I had a nickel for every time I read a post that asked this question.....:D

Of course it can be done....read through the threads on here and you will see that there are many students either in your situation or already in NS with kids.

I don't want children so I can't understand what you're going through, but just know that there are lots of women in your shoes who have made it without giving up either of their dreams.

Good luck!

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If I had a nickel for every time I read a post that asked this question.....:D

Of course it can be done....read through the threads on here and you will see that there are many students either in your situation or already in NS with kids.

I don't want children so I can't understand what you're going through, but just know that there are lots of women in your shoes who have made it without giving up either of their dreams.

Good luck!

Thanks, sorry for being one of those annoying posters who asks the same question that's already been asked! I did a search, but I must have been looking for the wrong thing. All I could find were posts about getting pg while in nursing school, posts about older children, or "woops, got pg, should I drop out". I didn't know if I was the only one actually planning to put myself through this! :D

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Yes, it can be done. Do I suggest doing it? No, but not everyone's life is the same as mine! I got pregnant just after starting my pre-req's (unplanned). I had my daughter and it changed my school schedule somewhat. I just completed my first semester of Nursing classes this past semester and it was VERY hard to balance my time...my daughter is going to be 3 in September and she requires a lot of my attention. I do also work Full-time, so that makes a big difference as well.

Now just because it is difficult for me doesn't mean it will be for you. It really, in my opinion, depends on your support group. I would evaluate it all before you make your decision.

-Do you really think your husband will step up and be "Mr. Mom" (as my husband likes to call it), EVEN WHEN YOUR HOME? My husband takes care of my daughter when I am at school, but it quickly turned into when mommy is home, she gets the baby. Doesn't give me good quality time to study!

-Are you ready for the commitment of both school and a baby? I don't think pre-req's will be as much of a challenge, but when you get to the Nursing portion, you will have to make a huge commitment to school and you WILL feel guilty about not spending as much time with your child (or the lack of quality time) and your husband too for that matter. Nursing school literally takes over your entire brain!

-Does the age you have your child really matter? If yes, then there is your answer right there. I didn't have my daughter til I was 29. If that is not part of your plan, you are really the only one who can decide. But sometimes things don't go according to plan too...

So, just know that yes, it can be done, but it is more challenging. I wouldn't trade my daughter for the world, but if I could have been done with school before I had her, that would have been ideal!!!

Best of luck with your decision!!! No matter what, you can do it!

Lori

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I think it truly depends on the person AND their support system. We had a girl in my class that found out she was pregnant in 1st semester, just had the baby in 3rd. She had her on a Friday and was back in class on Tuesday! I admire her so much because I don't think I could've done it. There are several that have older kids, like myself, and several that have very young kids. I wish you much success in whatever you decide to do!

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Hello,

I currenlty have a 6 month old baby girl and i am entering my 2nd semester in Sept. Your question about if it is possible to have a young baby? my answer is Yes.

I was taking microbiology when I found out I was pregnant. When I recieved my acceptance letter, I was not sure if I will pursue my dream of becoming a nurse or not. I have financial responsiblities too and my husband just came from the Philippines so we were just starting our life together. I prayed so hard that I be accepted and when I got in, I had doubts.

I did not plan to have a C-section, but I did. After 2 weeks I started Nursing school. I wanted to give up because I had to nurse my baby and she was crying every 2hrs so I was sleepless going to class. It was a blessing that I was still on maternity leave so I had time to adjust to being a fulltime student and a mother before going back to work.

It is not easy, I had a time that I called my clinical instructor and told her that I am dropping because I felt overwhelmed. My daughter was crying the whole night and I could not study at all...My clinical instructor ordered me to stay home and sleep. She said tomorrow is another day so don't give up.

Long story short, I passed my first semester. Now my baby is 6 months and it gets easier because she now sleeps through the night. I am in my summer break and I am loving the extra time with her.

So my response to your question is that it is possible to have a baby while in NS but is very hard. If you do not have one yet, you might want to delay it so you can focus in NS and get through it. I have no regrets having my beautiful baby girl, she serves as my inspiration. But if I finished school first, then I would have more time with her now than studying most of my extra time. My husband is basically the one taking care of her so I miss them both.

Good luck to you dizze98765. I hope my story helped you a bit

BEBE1MEE

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