pregnant and crna school?

athomas91 · Mar 6, 2005

i don't know how your program is...but ours is very understanding - they don't mind a little time off for pregnancy - we just have to bust our humps to make the time up clinically either prior to or after the time off.

kmchugh · Mar 6, 2005

Shouldn't be a problem. My guess would be that this isn't the first time your program had a student in a similiar situation. Talk to your director.

Kevin McHugh, CRNA (already finished with school and passed boards, as opposed to one in school, who would correctly be identified as "SRNA")

jewelcutt · Mar 6, 2005

We've had a couple students get pregnant during school and they get time off but have to work hard to make it up. One girl delivered a preemie (the risks of anesthesia) and had to take six weeks off and she's just going to make up the clinical time and graduate six weeks later than the rest of her class, she still attended class time though. Another girl I know only took two weeks off after delivering (unbelievable). You can do it, you'll just have to work hard. At least you'll deliver before clinicals because the cases you would've been able to do would have to be limited if pregnant.

Athlein1 · Mar 6, 2005

I can think of four SRNAs in various programs that have been pregnant during their schooling. The culture of your program is the primary factor in determining how your pregnancy will be viewed. From what I know, though, it is definitely doable provided that you:

1. Inform your program director immediately of your situation so that any adjustments in clinical time and scheduling can be made with plenty of advance notice

2. Have a firm financial plan and family that is committed to helping you, understanding that clinical days can be 12+ hours per day, not including drive time, plus study and careplanning time. We had a student that had a C-section on a Friday, and was back in school on Monday!

3. Accept the fact that you are not deserving of special favors and compromise because you are pregnant/have children. If you expect special treatment, to include the pick of the clinical sites, special exam periods, early release from clinical to go to your OB or deal with your kids, you will create a vast amount of tension and resentment amongst your classmates, and perhaps your program.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

PS. FYI - No harm done, but uou should change your screenname, as Kevin alluded to, to SRNA. You have to earn the right to call yourself CRNA, as practicing CRNAs will readily tell you.

louloubell1 · Mar 6, 2005

I don't have any advice or anything, but just wanted to say congratulations on your upcoming new one! :Melody: :balloons: :Melody:

Good luck and blessings to you too. I'm sure people have done both school and pregnancy before, but please keep your and your baby's health in mind. Sometimes the toll of carrying a baby is hard to predict. I have four little ones myself, and have found that each of my pregnancies were very different in regards to how much rest I needed, and how much activity I could tolerate. Listen to your body, and to your OB, and don't be afraid to take a leave of absence from school if you need to. You and the baby come first! Again, congratulations!

Lou

Vin · Mar 9, 2005

Her screen name is CRNA2B i.e CRNA to be. She is a CRNA to be so what is wrong with her using that description? I am sure the program will be fine about your upcoming pregnancy.. they cannot discriminate against you based on this. I don't think it's wrong to expect some concessions based on the fact you are pregnant. I would hope your director will bend over backwards to help you finish on time. I would also hope your classmates would be supportive and understand that you may need closer clinicals or certain "priorities". I'm sure you would do the same for them if they had a parent dying of cancer, a sick child, were pregnant or some other personal reason that meant they needed certain concessions for a short time.

If you want to graduate on time, you will do whatever needs to be done. Here's hoping those around you will be supportive, understanding and empathic.

FrumDoula · Mar 11, 2005

I have to second the poster who said to consider your kids. Though I am not a nurse-anesthetist, I am a mom, doula, lactation educator and student nurse. So take my opinion for what it is - simply one opinion.

The first thing that occurs to me when I hear about a woman going back to school 3 days after a cesarean is not, "What an incredible woman!" It's more like, "What an incredible dumbass!", quite frankly. Those women do themselves and their babies no favors whatsoever.

The body needs time to heal from birth, and even more importantly, you and the baby need to get to know each other. Breastfeeding sometimes takes awhile to step back into, and milk supply can be affected by stress and fatigue. You might want to check to see what kinds of facilities will be available in case you plan to pump at work (though you're going to decrease health risks somewhat by utilizing a nanny versus day care).

Taking at least 6 weeks off is a perfectly acceptable thing to do, and moreover, it shows that you're putting your baby before your educational goals, which I think is a mature and thinking move to make. No diploma is worth getting at the expense of your or your babys' physical or emotional health.

I admire your willingness to think through these things. As a student nurse who's pregnant now, I can sympathize with what you might be going through. Good luck to you!! And by the way, don your guilt suit now. You'll be in good stead with the rest of us mommies. :) :)