Any moms in college? + intro

PaulandPregnantChelsea

Hey ladies,

I'm 35 weeks pregnant with the future president of the united states and I'm a second year med student.  I've had the summer off, but I go back in a week.  DS is due 8/28 and I'm just starting to get my nanny-plans in order.

Being a full time student is a bit different than having a full time job, so I was wondering if there are any moms out there who are making it work and if you had any advice.

My husband works full-time and we moved across the country when I got into school, so unfortunately we don't have any family nearby.  I'm allowed to miss only two weeks of class when DS is born and my class schedule isn't very consistent, so I'm thinking I'll have to find a nanny and pay her like a bazillion dollars to be at the beck and call of a newborn.

I would love some positive personal stories!  TIA!

Maybride2

There's probably no chance of you being able to take a semester off, is there? Both times for me, I was worthless at 2 weeks postpartum - the fog created by the hormone crash and the sleeplessness is no joke, and it was closer to 8 or 9 weeks before I truly started feeling human again. Up to that point I was in pure survival mode, no way could I have handled school work. Best of luck to you, maybe you'll be stronger than I was. I'd start looking into a night nurse and I'd plan on formula feeding so that you can sleep through the night.

PaulandPregnantChelsea

Thanks for all the advice, ladies!

I spoke to the Dean and course directors and the general consensus is that it is not acceptable to miss more than two weeks.  There is another pregnant girl in my class due at the end of September, and she got the same speech I did.  During second year, our blocks are shortened, so if I took 6 weeks, I'd miss neuro, psych, and GI - which I really can't do.  But, they've told us that we shouldn't rush into an exam just to get it over with if we're really not ready.  They said they would work with us on that aspect.

I guess all I can do is try, and if it's too much, I'll wave the white flag.  It's an osteopathic medical school, so they're pretty loosey goosey about most things.  One of my professors actually breastfed while she was lecturing last year, so I don't think I'll have a problem with pumping!