Pregnant nursing student/worried

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2011

We can't give you medical advice- but I can say with a degree of certainty your doctor is not going to clear you for work a week after your C-section.. I wasn't allowed to pick up anything heavier than my baby for 6 weeks (when my second came, I ignored those orders since I also had a toddler- but I digress)---

Congratulations on that baby-- what an exciting surprise!! I know it may be hard, but is skipping one semester going to throwing you off that much in the grander scheme of things?? Cherish that baby-

Sbn1012 · Dec 1, 2011

Thank you for your reply I didn't want medical advice just experience :) thank you again!

Clovery · Dec 1, 2011

i got pregnant during my first semester of nursing school. after lots of consideration i decided to take a year off, so that i wouldn't be very pregnant/post-partum during school. i'm glad i did because i ended up with a c/s and i never would have been able to finish out that semester. it sucks seeing the girls from my fundamentals class about to graduate now and not being there with them. but i'm back in the program and doing great. ultimately i decided to take time off because you never know what to expect... you could be ordered bed rest the last couple weeks of your pregnancy, recovery might not go as planned, etc. if you're lucky enough to have a program with a lenient attendance policy and you think they might allow you to avoid lifting in clinicals, then maybe you can go for it. my school has a "more than 2 absences = automatic failure" policy and I didn't want to risk wasting the money and have a 9 credit course as an F on my GPA. My advice is to look into taking some time off and picking up the program after you've had the baby. Plus you'll have time to enjoy your new little one without being completely stressed. In the scheme of things, a year isn't that much time and nursing school will always be there. IMO it's not worth the risk of failure/injury/extreme stress to try to have a baby in the middle of a semester. good luck with whatever you decide to do and congrats!

jennylouwho · Dec 2, 2011

And what if the baby comes early? That throws off your week to recover from a CS.

I had a CS with my first and my OB wouldn't even clear me to drive for two weeks, no way would she have cleared me to work at a job that involves physical moving of patients and doing work that would require a ROM more than I could do a week post op! Maybe for an office job, but that would be about it!

anonymousstudent · Dec 2, 2011

We've had several women have babies during the breaks and come back to clinicals the next week - c-sections too. At our school, there appears to be a breakdown between the department that manages medical records and the clinical instructors. These students have been able to come into a fresh clinical site and instructor, who didn't know they were pregnant, and not report it to the other department and slide right by. The other students know and are more than helpful with lifting, but usually after their week break and the first week of orientation, they are doing quite well when they actually have to start providing patient care.

Actually, I was just reading in our student hand book (I'm just a few months pregnant and will not deliver until well after I'm done) that disclosing a pregnancy is not required. So don't tell them. I mean, if you don't disclose it, and don't admit to it, how can you be held responsible for the reporting?

This 6 or 8 week rule is a little ridiculous in my opinion. Some people need more time - some need much less. Doctor's won't write you off because they don't want the liability.

I'm not trying to advocate breaking rules, you know, but do what you need to do. It's a hard decision and it's a personal one. Only you know your school, their system and policies, and what you will be able to handle. Don't be afraid to take a medical leave, especially this early in your program. It really won't hurt you much.

SPJJMommy · Dec 4, 2011

I'm also pregnant and in my first semester of school, due May 21st (scheduled c-section). I've had two prior c-sections (my children are now 3 and 4). I recovered surprisingly fast from those surgeries...about 4 weeks with the first and 2 weeks with the second.

I talked about school with my doctor a few weeks ago, and even showed him my school schedule. I have a weekend of lab two weeks after the baby is due, and 60 clinical hours that will begin 5 weeks after the c-section. My doc said it shouldn't be a problem... he said we'll just go off of how I feel, but he doesn't see a problem clearing me to return to clinical 5 weeks postpartum. Big relief there!!

So that's my experience. It seems like a lot of the physicians stick to the 6 week (or 8 week) recovery before giving clearance, but it may not be the case. Just talk it over with your doc and go from there! Either way, everything will work out for the best!! Good luck! :)

VolunteerCPR · Dec 4, 2011

Congrats on the baby :) We are actually TTC and I'm planning to take a semester off if it happens. In my opinion, school and a job will always be there. (Heck, maybe even more jobs the more you wait if the economy continues to improve.) Your fertility and your baby's first couple of months will not. It's not a rush to the finish line, take a little time to smell the flowers. You can still finish school and have your baby, too :)

alanagpatel · Dec 5, 2011

During my last year (year 3 of RN) i was pregnant and gave birth 4 days before my final exams....so its doable if continuing on with your education is important at this moment. In my opinion, once you have a baby its very hard to go back to school and it can get pushed back a couple of years.

Pregnancy wise, during the school year, i stayed as active as possible so that during clinical i wouldn't be exhausted by the end. I also let my clinical instructors know that i could not lift, which they were understanding about. Make sure that your eating healthy and drinking lots of water. I was on a med surg floor during the second half of my pregnancy and i worked my butt off , it was so busy but i got through it. I didn't let anyone coddle me just cause i was pregnant. My due date was april 5th..and i didn't give brith till april 11 with my first exam on the 14 ( i made it! sat on a donut throughout the test but i got there).

Try to stay on top of studying, i found what helped me is creating a schedule for studying for and doing a little each day as well as grabbing notes of friends.

I aslo worked full time till 36 weeks, coached a volleyball team and i came out with straight A's.

Ambitious83 · Mar 20, 2014

I am 3 months pregnant with two children ages 8 & 12 years old, unemployed and living with my fiance but looking into nursing school. My fiance and I agreed that it was okay for me to attend school since my pregnancy has no current complications. I'm not sure if this is a bad idea to go ahead and start school. I'm a little worried about starting classes next month. My due date is in September so I would be delivering before graduating. I attended school before with no help from a previous marriage and that did not work out at all. I dropped out but since I do have help and with the man of my dreams he is willing to help me every step of the way so that I may attend school without working and give my full concentration on my grades. I'll be starting next month and will keep everyone updated on how things are going if it helps this thread

Ambitious83 · Mar 20, 2014

Great advice, I wish I had your patience and determination to put off school and start back again. Finding a program that does give leniency on attendance is very hard to find. Have you graduated already and how is your experience working now? Did you graduate on time after giving birth to a newborn and starting school. I'm afraid if I put it off it will be another 10 years before I go back like last time. (deep sigh)