angel do you have an idea if your uni are generally supportive about pregnancy? (I mean they should be, but I what happens in practice is what matters!)
I'm sure you're not the first to get pregnant half way through!
And there are laws about not discriminating because of pregnancy, there must be a way to let you complete the course.
Am I right that this is your first DC? I hope I'm not stepping out of line to say I reckon you might need a back-up plan in case you find you just can't study with a young baby. Do you think you'd want to take a year out if you knew they'd let you?
It might well be possible, I know someone with her own business (working from home) who managed to keep it running with only 2 weeks off when the baby was born. I don't know how she did it!
But personally I would find it absolutely impossible to write a dissertation with a baby so young. I tried to do some freelance when DS was about 5 months, and after a very frustrating week, achieving exactly nothing, I had to admit I simply couldn't do it.
The main problem was I thought I could work with the baby there. But for me at least, that proved totally impossible. My friend who ran her own business worked at night and while the baby slept, but she's a rare -freak- amazing person. I just couldn't. I was so sleep deprived, I needed to sleep myself while DS was sleeping!
If you do have to do your dissertation with a little one, I'd highly recommend carving out specific time when you study, and getting childcare (whether it's your DP, mum, friend, CM, nanny) to give you that space to study, as if you were going to work.
I hope that's helpful and doesn't sound as if I'm trying to put you off! It may well be totally doable, I reckon the key is having the right support. DP was working long hours at the time. I guess it might have been different for me if he'd been home more.
I wonder if anyone else has experience of studying with a little one?
Sent you a PM about some stuff my tutor said btw :)