Post # 1
Member
7 posts
Newbee
Hi guys! I am currently one year away (graduating in May) from getting my master’s degree in special education. I do NOT have to do a thesis. I also am a full time special education preK teacher. My DH and I would really like to begin our family. We would really like to TRY to have our baby in May or June (so I can have summer off and not have to miss to much time teaching, plus get paid). I know that you cannot plan when baby will truly come or when you will conceive but let us at least pretend for the moment. This means we either need to get ready to start trying next month OR we have to wait an entire year.
My question, I suppose, is whether or not you think that graduate classes plus working 8-3:30 everyday AND being pregnant will be too much. I only have graduate class two times a week and have the option of completeing this online. I want to finish school, no doubt. I would be finished before baby arrives. So bees.. what do you think?
Post # 2
Member
9389 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
thebabs : oof. Id struggle a lot with that sort of workload while pregnant. As it is just my normal job is a challenge some weeks. The morning sickness really drains you, first of all, and the exhaustion doesnt help.. they say the second trimester is better but I’m 20weeks+3days and I’m still chronically tired and frequently nauseous if I forget my unisom the night before (unisom has quelled most of the morning sickness, thankfully! But I know a lot of women who can’t take a full pill the night before without feeling groggy the next day.. which also means they feel more nausea the next day due to the lower dose. Even with the full dose my nausea would “break through” now and then.. it can really floor you!)
I assume prek is pretty active job.. I’m winded pretty easily compared to when I wasn’t pregnant, and I get dizzy spells occasionally. I hear the third trimester will be even harder, due to the back pain and the fact all your organs (including your lungs!) Are squished and the fact you weigh a lot more than normal.
Also keep in mind starting at 24 weeks you have to see your OB every other week. Starting at 36 it’s weekly. My OB works more limited hours than I do so that means taking time off work every visit…
Women have made it through worse, of course, but I wouldn’t suggest it if you have a choice.
Post # 3
Member
2219 posts
Buzzing bee
I’m just getting out of my first trimester and it was ROUGH. I could barely work let alone take classes and study. I was exhausted and nauseous all the time plus smells setting me off and food aversions. I suggest just waiting until you finish the masters to try. Though it also took me almost two years and IVF to get pregnant.
Post # 4
Member
3106 posts
Sugar bee
thebabs : I definitely think you can do it! Pregnancy is tiring but if you can do classes online I say go for it. My sister completed her 3rd year in law school and had my nephew 3 mos before graduating. And another friend was a medical resident. You got this!
Post # 5
Member
3106 posts
Sugar bee
thebabs : and pregnancy hits everyone differently. I’m currently 10w pregnant with twins. I’m tired but legit have no other symptoms. You can’t know how you will be pregnant but just know that women do this all the time. I mean you’ll have to continue working regardless. How strenuous are the classes? I really think this is doable.
Post # 6
Member
156 posts
Blushing bee
thebabs : I am 6 weeks and have been hit with MS 24/7 and extream fatigue, it is completely worth the blessing of a child but it is hard work. Really hard. The issue is you don’t know how your body will react. Are you willing/able to let something give for potentially a few months in the first trimester if you need to? No matter what I hope it all works out perfectly for you. I see why now seems like a good time and if you need a while to conceive you may be glad you started early.
Post # 7
Member
688 posts
Busy bee
I’d say it’s doable – but in the same breath, people run marathons pregnant, and I’m certainly not signing up for that.
I’d honestly want to avoid any major undertakings during pregnancy, and early postpartum, as you never know what might happen, or how it’s all going to affect you.
Post # 8
Member
3511 posts
Sugar bee
For me the first trimester was suuuuper tiring, like I’d fall asleep at 8 on the couch every night. I was lucky not to have much nausea. I’m almost done with the second trimester now and I’ve been feeling really good the past 3 months. My job has required long (13-14) hr days working outside about a third of the time during the second trimester (but not first or third, luckily!!) – and that had been manageable. Third trimester, apparently you slow down and just feel like your body is working extra hard and can’t sleep well towards the end.
Remember that you can’t really drink coffee, so you have to manage any exhaustion on your own.
I think you could probably rally and do it, but I’ve also had a relatively easy pregnancy and everyone is different….
Post # 9
Member
329 posts
Helper bee
I worked full time and was taking 9 hours each semester while I was pregnant. Conceived in July, she was born in March. The spring semester was really hard and I actually ended up taking incompletes on two of the classes, but if you will be done with your program by the time baby is born you should be golden. Working full time is totally doable while pregnant though. Something I didn’t really think of though was what happens after she was born. After my 12 weeks of maternity leave I absolutely could not go back to work without issues. I ended up with really severe postpartum depression when I went back and ended up leaving to be a full time student and mom when she was 5 months old. Just look at all the factors before jumping in!
Post # 10
Member
909 posts
Busy bee
thebabs : I had terrible exhaustion during the first trimester so I would have struggled with this schedule. Working all day, especially in an active job like teaching kids, would have made me need to nap once I got home which doesn’t leave much time for school work. But it really depends on how much time you have to put into your classes and preparing for teaching after hours. If you’re the kind of person who can push through feeling exhausted and sick then it might be doable.
I would at least make sure that you don’t start TTC until your due date would be a month after your classes are scheduled to end. You could easily give birth ~3 weeks early and it would be nearly impossible to finish classes with a newborn at home. Also, do you have the ability to take incompletes in your classes if baby comes really early, god forbid? My son was in NICU and there’s no way I could have done anything productive during that time.