Should I have a baby now or in a few years

anniemichellena · Jan 19, 2012

I'm 30 and have no children and know how you feel. I have studied in business and decided to get my nursing degrees. What I decided to do is go for a yr or year and a half program...so I decided to do my lpn so that way if I should have kids I can work and go to school part time if that should happen....or if you already have a BS degree you can do a 1 yr accelerated bsn program. Either way you can be working in nursing and still have children and a life!

Columnist · Jan 19, 2012

Moved to Pre-Nursing forum where hopefully other pre-nursing students in a similar situation can give you some insight.

2bEsqtoRN · Jan 19, 2012

I have similar concerns for my own life, however I will say it completely depends on if there is a support structure in place should you decide to start a family now or then. IMHO, a child should enter the picture when both parents are financially, emotionally, and mentally prepared to take on such a committed role. I nor others can make that decision for you but do know that it is possible to have a child while in school just as it is similarly possible to have a child in your mid-30s. Neither circumstances are worst case scenarios.

gemini_girl · Jan 19, 2012

I had the same dilemma when I got married 2 years ago. I was 30 then. I was excited to start my own family but at the same time I want to be a nurse. I've already done some of my prereqs. I just need 1 more year before I could apply for the 2-yr ADN program. I decided to pursue my studies and planned to have kids after I graduate. Now I'm in the program. My husband supports me in every step I take. We both wanted a better future for our kids, that's why. I know it's a tough decision. Weigh all the pros and cons before making a decision. Goodluck!

rthompson · Jan 19, 2012

I am a little younger, only 22, with a toddler trying to go through nursing program and right now the hardest part is that I dont have an income to pay for childcare for my daughter while I am in school. My hubby is Air Force and we just moved to a new city where we know nobody so it is worrysome for me financially choosing to pursue a nursing degree with a toddler but I would much rather be able to go to work full time once she is in school than be worrying about a newborn and starting my career. But thats my personal choice.

Patience2 · Jan 19, 2012

I know you want advice from nursing students but I'm a mom so I'm providing advice from my experience. I am a pre-nursing student, 26 y.o with a 23 month old son. What keeps me going is stability. I have a wonderful husband and my parents and sister live close by so in difficult times all four of them serve as life-lines. I also have church members who are high school students that dont mind babysitting when I have late night classes. My advice to you is to discuss this with you mate. Write out all possible scenarios if you can.

Things to look at are finances and resources. Do you have financial stability? Can you juggle classes with childcare? Especially in your child's first 8 months of life who will you trust to be there for him/her if you're not available? What does that person's schedule look like?

Just some things to consider......

CDEWannaBe · Jan 19, 2012

If you have reliable childcare you could probably start taking prereqs when your child is 1. I know people do it sooner, but during that first year as a parent your time is not your own and you're super sleep deprived.

I work full-time and didn't go back to school until my son was 4. That's with a super supportive mate. Still, I always feel like I'm taking time away from my child when I'm in class. My goal is to build a better future for all of us, which makes it worth it.

♑ Capricorn ♑ · Jan 20, 2012

Ok so I'm 28 years old and I don't have any children. I am working on my prereqs for my BSN but my ultimate goal is to get a masters in midwifery. I wanted to wait till I finished school but I think I'll be too old to start having children, I would ve around 36 years old is there any of you who went trough something similar? If so give me advice. I still need one more year to finish my prereqs. I know this should be a personal decision but I need advice from the ones that have gone through a similar situation.

You'll need to decide what is more important to you, at the right time. If you have a great support system and can manage school and a family well at the same time, go for it. You could always plan for kids after the BSN and before graduate school. Nursing school can be stressful. If I was in your shoes, I would wait until I was an RN and working. Graduate school can wait on a back burner for a bit until my family plans were completed, but thats just me.

mickeyxmita · Jan 21, 2012

I think you are absolutely right

Al.ginger · Jan 21, 2012

I strated pre-reqes when my son was 3 month. I started nursing program when he was 1.5 y.o.

I'm in my 2nd semester and my baby 2 now. It is possible. I would have a baby now, if I were you. 36 is kind of late especially if you want more than one.

p.s. I'm 23 and cannot fully understand your situation so I just sharin mine

DarkLotus · Jan 22, 2012

You could try to have a baby right when you would be finishing pre-reqs. Doing pre-reqs while preggo would be easier than nursing school while preggo in my opinion. Then take a full term off to bond with your new baby, or a year... If your school has an oncampus daycare it makes nursing between classes easy. It is possible to find a balance between school and family!

Just make sure you have a support system and childcare back ups. I am a single mom with two wonderful kids, 1 and 4. I did my prereqs starting with online courses like English, Sociology and Psych when my oldest was new born. I was accepted into nursing school this past fall but could not attend because of financial issues with childcare whlie in school.

So yeah I would say go for it girly! Afterall as a midwife wouldn't it be great to have first hand experience;)