Open University with a newborn

[BeNavyLion]

Hi all!

Just reaching out for some advice from people who have done the same thing.
I am due on the 21st February, and I'm in my final year of part time open uni (online uni).
This means I'll be studying whilst baby is 0-3 months old.
Does anyone have any advice? Especially coping with tiredness. Luckily I'll be on maternity leave but I'll be breastfeeding so my partner can't do those early days night feeds.
I am a FTM so have no clue what I'm getting myself in for but I'm expecting it to be hard 😅

I studied with newborns, was just finishing my first L1 module when dc3 was born. I went straight into my next module. It wasn’t easy, I would study in small blocks, I’d read whilst doing the night feeds, study blocks early in the morning as kids slept. I wrote my TMA’s in the evenings when toddlers were asleep & Dh would feed ( I expressed, then combined feeding), sit with baby, which gave me a few hours to study. I also made my tutor aware, asked if I needed extensions in good time. Most were encouraging & supportive. I was very tired though. Good luck.

Thank you! I've just looked at the timings and I only have 1 TMAs and the EMA due after baby comes. Ill have 2 weeks before baby comes on mat leave (assuming baby doesn't arrive early) where I can knuckle down and really focus, make a start on the TMA, so it's only really the EMA which is going to floor me. (Assuming all goes to plan 😅)

I had a friend who started OU when she had her first and by the time the second one started school she had her degree and did a PGCE. If you need an extension for the EMA speak to your tutor and student services.

Extensions for EMA’s are rare & require evidence. I wasn’t granted an extension & Dc3 was in NICU, I had to write it as she was on there, as due or fail. My tutor was fab, lots of encouragement & specific support to focus & get me through.

If you manage to work ahead of schedule you might manage to complete most of the work on the TMA before the baby is born. If the baby is born quite close to the EMA date you might be able to apply for a discretional postponement of the EMA so you submit it at the end of the summer, but you need written evidence, it is not guaranteed that it will be granted and you will still need to do the work while juggling a fairly young baby. It will also delay the awarding of your degree.

Assuming you already have the EMA title, you might be able to start to work on that alongside the reading now. Each time you come to something relevant in the module, take a note in a separate file so you already have a bank of relevant notes to draw on.

I am an OU tutor and still fondly remember the girl who asked me very sweetly if she could submit her TMA early because the date it was due was also her due date.

Congrats on your baby! Hopefully your tutor will make as many allowances for you as they possibly can — I would.