Anyone done a midwifery degree with small children?

[Lorelai]

I am currently thinking about going back to uni in 2012 to study midwifery. I know it is extremely competetive, but I think I would have a good chance of getting in. Money would be tight but we would manage. My biggest worry is fitting in time to study with 2 small children to look after. DD1 will be 4 and just starting at school (full time) and DD2 will be 22 months when I start. My parents will help out with childcare while I am in classes/on placements but not for home studying time.

Has anyone got experience of this? How much time do you need to spend each week studying in your own time? I get the impression that when you are in classes it is pretty much full time, is there much else needed/expected?

i started my nursing degree when DD1 was 6 and DD2 4. It was manageable with lots of DH/mother supprot for babysitting for anti-social hours.

I've recently done my midwifing with the DDs 11 and 13 and it was much more difficult to fit in study - simply because they were around all evening. with the nursing i just packed them off to bed at 6.30 and had a few ours free every eveing. with them older although they didn't need so much supervision they were just always there.

So would you say it was 2-3 hours per night, every night you needed? Did you get much time to unwind or was it all study, all the time?

not that much - but then i'm a bit of a slacker. run up to handing in assignments is busier. it's just constant jiggling of work, school, family stuff. doable but busy.

Ok, cool, that sounds good. I am studying to be an NCT breastfeeding counsellor at the moment and that is quite academic with essays etc but I have been doing the studying during my commute/lunch breaks. Finding it much harder to juggle now I am mat leave! Good practice for uni I guess :)