Next semester will be my last semester of prerequisites for the the ADN Nursing program. I will be applying March 2014 and have a good chance of getting accepted for Fall 2014. I had always thought we would try for Baby # 2 while waiting to get into a Nursing School. I thought it may take 2-3 years to get accepted and had planned on having my second child now rather than later, but now that I may get into nursing school earlier than planned I am having second thoughts...
Many current nursing students have told me to wait. They say that nursing school will be extremely demanding on my time and it is very hard to have a young child to care for.
The problem is that I am 33 right now and my son is going to be 10 soon. I had put off having #2 to finish my prerequisites. If I do wait until after school, I will be 36 and my son will be 13. I also am risking gettting close to the dreaded 37 where women tend to have more problems with pregnancy and birth defects. If we do decide to have one before- right now would be the time to get pregnant, but the thought of having a child that I cannot spend as much time with-kills me!
I just don't know what to do... Thank you for any advice in advance! :)
I say go for it. You may not get another chance. IMO, That baby provides a HUGE drive to do well in nursing school. Plus your son. Do it, for youself, and your family. Your heart will be so huge! Good luck supermama.
I finished pre reqs and had gone through application/interview in December of 2011 and was turned down So I took a few other classes while waiting to apply in the spring for the following fall semester. I ended up getting pregnant with my second the beginning of that December got into nursing school with the spring applications and started nursing school in August 2012 with a 2 year old and was 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I attended my first class on a Tuesday had an ob appointment Wednesday had my son on Thursday and was back in class the following Tuesday (class, labs, tests and all). It took me long enough to get to that point and I was determined to do it and I wasn't going to let myself fall behind! Was it easy? NOPE! Do I remember much from those first couple weeks of nursing fundamentals? That's a giant NO! Especially with the 4 am clinicals I was up every 2 hours feeding a baby and had quite a distance to go to get to my clinical site I NEVER slept that semester! I can tell you it isn't easy but SO doable! I am starting my final semester this up coming Wednesday with a now 3 1/2 year old and 16 month old and I have had a straight 4.0 for the last 4 (out of 5) semesters of my nursing program. You have to be willing to take help when its offered and depend on others in your life to help you through but you can do it! My sweet mother-in-law has been a god send through this whole time. I study between the hours of 7:30pm-3am and get up bright and early for classes, clinicals, labs, and what have you. I drink more coffee than one should and I hate the fact that I didn't get to spend as much time with my second son as a newborn/baby as I did with my first but now that I can see the finish line it was worth it! I have to add that my second son was such a happy go lucky easy baby so that was a major help.. My 3 year old on the other hand might just cause me to pull all my hair out.
I say go for it now... It's easier to go into any program with a baby you already have... It's not easy to try to adjust midway through or after... Also you will be better adjust at entering the workforce is you are not pregnant or trying to get pregnant... Just my two cents.
I've had the same debate. We decided to wait. Now that I'm about to graduate, I'm debating whether or not baby #2 is even something we want at this point, because of how much life has changed for us. But we also don't want our son to be an only child. We'll see where we land once I'm working (not very responsible to start trying before then).
You could also put off applying to school until the little one is weaned and you're okay with being away more, because with nursing school, you ARE gone all the time. You know that if you do get pregnant, you'll get your acceptance letter.
I've seen people in school with newborns, and it CAN be done, but it's definitely a struggle.
I had one child at 30 and lost several babies after waiting until my later 30s to have more children. I say nursing school will always be there but your ability to have more children won't. I wouldn't hold back on trying to get preggo. If it happens then you can decide if nursing school is appropriate. If you don't get pregnant then go to nursing school. You just don't know what will happen in the future. Maybe you can do both just fine...it depends on your support system!!
Also, kiddos ARE all they are cracked up to be (I found the comment about them not being all they are cracked up to be inappropriate). In my opinion, it depends on the amount of time you devote to them and what your priorities are in life. It is so much harder to have them when you see them as an inconvenience. Becoming a nurse is important, sure...but for ME life is so much better for having my one child! It depends on what matters to you!!!
Go with the flow, what ever happens, happens!!! Good luck!
TexRN, BSN, RN
553 Posts
I say go for it. You may not get another chance. IMO, That baby provides a HUGE drive to do well in nursing school. Plus your son. Do it, for youself, and your family. Your heart will be so huge! Good luck supermama.