Student / New Grad & Pregnancy

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm starting a 2 year RN program this August and I am so excited! I picked the wrong major the first time around. I'll be 30 when I finish. My husband and I are also trying to determine the best time a baby will fit into this picture.

Am I crazy to try to get pregnagnt during my last year of school, hopefully time things so I graduate and take the NCLEX before the baby comes....take a few months off and then start a new job?

In your opinion will it be easier for me to go the above route or wait until I'm through with school. Then I'm faced with the stress of a being a new grad and pregnant....I can't imagine management would appreciate that.

I guess there is never a conveneint time to start a family. I really want 3 kids so from an age standpoint and not knowing how easily I'll get pregnant (been on BC for over 10 years) I feel like I need a plan.

I will really appreciate any opinions / personal stories!

Thanks

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Specializes in Emergency Dept.

As a new grad you can usually only get a job as a New Grad, not RN. (Even if you have passed boards) simply because it does take more orientation. Most places, at least here in KC, offer new grad positions in May and December, so it depends how much time you want to take off. Now, I don't feel I have any business advising you on when to have a family, but from the standpoint of someone who just got out of school a year ago, my suggestion Nursing School wise would be to see if you could have your little one in the summer between the two years of school, or wait until you have a year of experience after graduation. Taking that much time off right after graduation makes it that much harder to recall the information.

Good Luck with school and your family!

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the previous poster is right.... only you can make that decision! but here's my take on it: nursing school is really hard stuff! it's basically non-stop. i went through it single and it was still a challenge. i have no idea how anyone could possibly go through a pregnancy at the same time ;/

i'd finish school first, find a job and establish yourself, get pregnant, and then live happily ever after :D

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Nursing was also a second career for me. I had my second child in my first semester of clinicals and my third child in my last semester of clinicals. Please keep in mind that there are specific rules about clinicals, and if you are or not allowed to miss any. My school allowed one miss that had to be made up. Your Dr. will probably have to fill out a pregnancy release form of some type, supplied by the school. My only restriction for both pregnancy's was to not take care of a patient with cytomegalovirus, as it could be harmful to the fetus.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

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Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Urgent Care.

After you graduate! i'm sure it can be done...but all of our pregnant students going into our first year of nursing are no longer with us going into our final and second year. wait if you can help it...

Mex

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It's great that you're thinking about this!! My story is quite interesting and hopefully will help you out! I started my two year program when I was 38 and all three of my children were in school--4th, 8th, and 10th grades. It was working out perfectly! The children are all girls so they helped a lot with cooking, cleaning, etc... Toward the middle of my 2nd semester I found out I was pregnant!!! Wow!! We were surprised, happy, aprehensive... I still had a couple gen eds to do so the girls went to grandmas for a few weeks in the summer and I went to summer classes four days a week with a growing belly and greying hair. I am sure I was the talk of the school! The baby was due in Oct. and we could only miss one clinical day which lucky for me we only had once a week for 12 hours. I decided to stay in school rather than take a semester off. I was afraid I wouldn't go back if I stayed home! Our little BOY :loveya: was born on a Tuesday and I was back in class for a 12 hour day at the hospital 9 days later. That was about the hardest thing I have ever done. I cried off and on all the way there!! I would not advise having a baby mid-semester! The worst part of the whole thing was that after the baby was born my brain was fried, literally! I felt like I was just walking around in a fog. I had lots of help at home and was able to get enough sleep but the whole thing just took a lot out of me. So, from that point on my test grades went down and at the end of the semester I found that I had failed by a very small fraction!! :cry: :banghead: :angryfire :confused: I made myself go back, passed and passed boards on the first try, but then felt I needed to take a few months off before working just to catch my breath. I am now starting with a home health agency which has very flexible hours. Works great for me.

So, as others have mentioned, only you will know the right time to start a family, but maybe something will help you as you look ahead to this exciting time of life! My one bit of advice to you is just remember that not every pregnancy and birth goes smoothly which unfortunately we can't always predict.

Sorry for the long post but hopefully something I've said will help.

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Being pregnant during nursing school is definitely a challenge... but not all things can be planned.

I was having fertility problems, and completing my prereqs for nursing school (I didn't think I'd actually get pregnant, and decided not to wait any longer to become an RN)

My third round of IVF worked, and I started nursing school with a six month old boy at home. The lack of sleep was my biggest challenge, but having the same daily routine was a big help. At some point celebrating with my husband, making it through second semester of nursing school, I became pregnant. who knew?

So my third semester was pregnant and with a toddler. I skipped fourth semester to have my second son, (he was born in Feb). I transferred into the evening program the following semester and finally finished school. What a wild ride!

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Well, that is my plan. I will graduate May 2010, and we are gonna try to get preggo in Dec. 2009. There is NEVER a right time to have a baby, and something will always be going on..listen to your heart.:heartbeat

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Wow! This sounds exactly like what we are going through! I will graduate May 2010 as well. We have been married about 5.5 years and we really want to start our family. We decided to start trying in Oct./ Nov. 2009. We are excited about that. You are right! There's always something going on.

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I accidently conceived my son about 6 months before I graduated nursing school.. I was in my first trimester all throughout my community health class and my last quarter of school! It wasn't so bad!

The first trimester was hard because I was going to school and feeling so tired and nauseated that it took a little more focus to study. I would just try to study during the times I knew I was less fatigued.

I also suggest you study and take your boards before the baby comes. I graduated December 2007 and took the boards Feb 6th, a month before my baby was born..It will be much harder to concentrate when the baby is out!

Anyway good luck! You'll be just fine!! and yyou can definetly do both!!

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