School with children

[aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN]

I've been reading on here about the rigors of CRNA school. I am still interested but was wondering how many of you went through school with children. How hard was this on your family.........especially if you are a woman? I really want to do this but if I have to sacrifice my family, it will be a very difficult decision. I know the benefits of making it through will make it worthwhile but it would be hard for me knowing that I would not be seeing my family.

Were any of you pregnant during school? Did they allow you to take a semester off when you had your baby?

I'm hoping to not be pregnant or anything when I go through but you never know when that will happen..........even birth control is not 100%.

[vaccrn]

I'm a guy, so I had no worries about getting pregnant while in school. But, my wife and I had 1 son when I started (8 months old) and had our second during my second semester. It was definately very, very difficult. My wife worked every weekend for 2 1/2 years (not counting her post partum time). She's a nurse also, God help her.

I would get on campus at 7am and not leave campus until 7-8pm every day, Monday through Friday. During clinicals, the hours were a little longer. My weekends were spent with the kids while my wife went to work. I did very little, if any studying on the weekends.

Was it hard? Yes. Was it worth it? YES, YES, YES.

I think the trick to getting through anesthesia school with a family is to be sure EVERYONE is committed to the endevour. You need to have very frank conversations with your spouse, partner, significant other, or whomever about the commitment that will be required of you.

It will not always be easy, it not always be fun, but it will be worth it.