Post-Baby Schooling advice - Please Help!

jademestiza

Hello

My name is Cassie and I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant with my husbands' and I first child.  We are so excited, however it came close to the end of my Masters degree with online Walden University.  A portion of this degree requires me to complete an internship at a site I've already located and contracted with.  I'm posting to ask people's position about this situation and what you might do in your case.....new moms especially since I don't know what I'm in for once the baby comes!

There are two portions of the Field Experience, 1 3-month Practicum and 1 6-month Internship.  Practicum requires 10-15 hours per week, Internship requires 20-25 hours per week.  The practicum I completing starting this month and will be done by August 2015.  I am due for the baby in October 2015.  In most cases, the Internship begins after the Practicum, however since my school's schedule is on quarters, I would be giving birth half way between the internship with no way to separate it.  

My internship site has agreed to delay my Internship until March 2016 and go until August 2016.  However, I was going to leave work this October as well as I do not make enough to cover day care.  This means then, that if I return to 20-25 hour/per week Internship in March 2016 thru August 2016, that I will need to find day care for that portion.  The Internship is unpaid and I'm already worried about not working starting October and being on only my husband's salary.

I am wondering whether people think it is worth putting off the 6-month internship until I can afford day care or not?  Once I complete this Internship, I will be done with my degree and can find jobs that require Masters.  However, I've been told that the baby will be between 5 and 10 months old, which is where a lot of firsts could happen.  

Is it worth it to try to finish it?  Or should I delay it until another year or so?  Keep in mind, doing so will involve finding a completely different site, which took me over a year to do in the first place.  Another option that came up was that my family, who live out of state in New Jersey, has offered to try to pay the day care for those 6 months.  I am having a hard time accepting this as I know my family doesn't have a lot of money and I'd hate to put them in a financial strain as well....

Any advice on this situation will be incredibly helpful.  Thank you.

Cassie

christina4436

Don't have much experience to speak from as I have a job and done with school but I would say don't delay. From what I have heard it will only get harder and there will always be a reason to post pone. I would try to finish as soon as possible. Maybe you can even try to accelerate or do extra before the baby comes? Maybe there is a way to do longer days and less days when baby is here if needed. Understand the daycare piece so maybe that would help? Or try to find a stay at home mom or in home daycare that may be cheaper that is willing to watch your child for this limited time? You're so close!