pregnant options age 40

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My hubby and I are looking at trying for a baby. I am 40 so it isn't in our favor to wait - I will graduate next Christmas. Any tips for managing it all if we get "blessed" to survive school and pregnancy?:lol2:

I work 3 days and am in school 4 days = no days off during semester unless I take vacation time. So far I have been doing good in classes and organizing my time.

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prayer........lots and lots of prayer........

btw......nice name! :lol2:

i also had a baby after 40, although it's been a while since nursing school.

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I guess the Tazzi clan needs to stick together. :lol2:;):idea:I have no advice other than to wish you the best in both endeavors. I have a classmate who is pregnant and she seems to be tolerating nursing school quite well.

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I had my last child at 43 (I have 4). I was a new nurse, working full-time and actually a lot of overtime. It was hard at the end of my pregnancy.

I told my dh that I would NOT ever work full time again. And I'm a part-time gal having fun with my son.

Good luck.

steph

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go for your priorities first above other things! do what's more important to you.

in my class, we had about 7 girls falling pregnant. they come to class with their pregnant bellies and everyone rubs their tummies :p but none of them were able to make it through clinicals. during the weeks of clinicals, they would become really tired and sick. becoz you'll be on your feet all the time. not so good for pregnant women.

what they do is, for those classes with clinicals, they would defer it till after the baby comes. usually it is only a semester or a year of deferring. then they jump back on and do it part time so that they can care for their baby. one of the girls came back to class a week after giving birth!

you'll need a lot of energy and organisation skills i think. with children you'll be up all night, and you'll have to manage the lives of 2 people - baby and yours... there's only 24 hours and so much energy in one day...

but they are happy. and none of them dropped out permanently. i think if you really want to make it work, it will work out. but probably do uni and work part time... anything's possible :monkeydance:

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Specializes in NICU.
My hubby and I are looking at trying for a baby. I am 40 so it isn't in our favor to wait - I will graduate next Christmas. Any tips for managing it all if we get "blessed" to survive school and pregnancy?:lol2:

I work 3 days and am in school 4 days = no days off during semester unless I take vacation time. So far I have been doing good in classes and organizing my time.

i started working as a new RN here in the US a month ago and i am 6 months pregnant at that time. i was assigned at the L&D unit. i thought i can make it through the 12 hour shift, 3 days in a row but i was wrong. ive been staying at home for many months before i got hired and my body was not used to all that stress. i asked to be transferred to another unit, now i am caring for post partum patients and their babies which is not so stressful for me.

you can most probably survive school but its hard to survive work. if youre pregnant and working, choose an area that is not critical care and does not require stressful situations, like in the nursery. caring for newborn babies dont feel like work to me since i actually enjoy it a lot and i am able to practice ;-)

now im 7 months pregnant and yes there are times when i really need to sit down and rest. good thing i can do that while doing my charting. my lower back still hurts but not as much when i was in L&D where i had to be walking/running aroung the hallways a lot.

i wish you luck on your plans to have a baby. my baby has been a great blessing to me. i passed the nclex and became an RN while pregnant. she is my lucky charm.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

I wish you had posted 2 or 3 years ago. I would have advised you to set priorities and decide whether having a baby or attending nursing school was more important to you, then encouraged you to complete one task before beginning the other.

It's not that it can't be done. But trying to accomplish 2 very stressful, unpredictible, and life-altering tasks at the same time is extremely difficult. Both nursing school and new parenthood are situations where much of your daily life is out ouf your control. (Attendance at clinicals is mandatory, yet babies get sick. Study time is crucial, yet baby care is time and labor intensive. Sleep is necessary in order to study and function in clinicals, yet babies wake up at all hours of the night.)

So, in order to avoid posting in a year asking how people handle the stress of pregnancy,newborns and school, please consider your decision carefully.

God bless and good luck!

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I wish you had posted 2 or 3 years ago. I would have advised you to set priorities and decide whether having a baby or attending nursing school was more important to you, then encouraged you to complete one task before beginning the other.

It's not that it can't be done. But trying to accomplish 2 very stressful, unpredictible, and life-altering tasks at the same time is extremely difficult. Both nursing school and new parenthood are situations where much of your daily life is out ouf your control. (Attendance at clinicals is mandatory, yet babies get sick. Study time is crucial, yet baby care is time and labor intensive. Sleep is necessary in order to study and function in clinicals, yet babies wake up at all hours of the night.)

So, in order to avoid posting in a year asking how people handle the stress of pregnancy,newborns and school, please consider your decision carefully.

God bless and good luck!

I was thinking about this and remembering my first baby. I remember not even having time to take a shower. It is a busy time.

I love it though - I love the infant stage so much. I love the q2h breastfeeding. The love you feel is so all encompassing. I miss it - can't believe my little guy is 6. (My other kids are 24, 22 and 18 so I know how fast they grow up but still - it takes you by surprise).

steph

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Will this be your first baby?

Have you been to your Dr for a pre-conception checkup? At the very least, ask your GYN for labs to be drawn on the 3rd day of your cycle to see exactly how much time you have left. That way, you will know if you can wait, or if you can't.

Lots of women can conceive after 40; and lots cannot. At my tender age of 33, I already have very limited egg quality left. So it's best to get checked out just to be sure...

Good luck!

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Specializes in ITU/Emergency.

I would just say that you and your husband should stop 'looking' at getting pregnant and just go for it! As you know, time is not on your side and nursing school will always be there but your oppurtunity to have a baby will not, unfortantly. You don't want to look back in a few years and wish you had at least tried to have a baby. Anyway, is there ever a right time for children? I wish you the very best of luck in your decision and I will send some babydust as I am 14 weeks pregnant.. ;) (not great timing for us either, but I wouldn't change a thing).

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Specializes in cardiac/education.

Hey Cardiac....how do you know your egg quality? Did you have a test done?

I am no help OP, other than GOOD LUCK..follow your heart, don't let your head talk you out of whatever you really want to do! ;)

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Indirectly. I didn't go through stim meds to see how many eggs I produce (yet), but it's based on labs (FSH, estradiol), and my cycle length, and my inability to conceive after so many, many failed cycles (number 38 right now).

Sigh...

I get the big ultrasound that looks at my long term egg count next cycle.

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