Just found out am pg, due Feb, starting 2nd year of BA in Oct - any advice?

[HannahLB]

Has anyone else had a baby during the college year, is is possible to do or should I just try to defer the rest of the degree until baby is born? Am due Feb so could probably get a good amount of work done in the year, esp as I think I will be on maternity leave from about Xmas. But is first baby, not sure how I'm going to be feeling and how much I'll feel able to do. Any advice much appreciated. Hannah

Sorry no experience of studying whilst PG / deferring etc but just wanted to bump this for you and say congrats, and to come over and see us on the due in Feb thread for moral support during your pregnancy. Hope someone can help you with your query soon .

Thanks Egg, will check out Feb thread. Am finding it hard to adjust to new pregnant status at the mo, was very unplanned! Trying to get details sorted in my head about what's going to happen re money/study/life.

Mine was planned but still a shock. Then I found out it was twins! Anyway, lots of lovely ladies on Feb thread, can do a link to it if you need one.

Link would be great, thanks! My scan is next week - my grandfather is a twin so there's always a chance but think one's enough to start with! Congrats on yours, when are you due?

Do you have semesters or a year-long course? I was pg in my 2nd year (had my dd a month after my final exam) and I did struggle to keep up with the workload at time. Going part-time might be an option -esp after your baby is born.

Go and see your personal tutor/student services to find out about provision for pg students/creche facilities as well - you will probably be entitled to extenuating circs consideration for coursework/exams - useful to have under your belt even if you don't actually need it in the end. Would write more but keyboard sticking a bit.

Thanks for replying. Is a year long course, but as it is a foundation degree (two years) with option to do third year BA, I only have to pass to continue on to third year, and grade doesn't count to final BA grade. Hence would like to finish at least the foundation degree part, if not managing to complete the BA, as at least I have part of a qualification and easier to go back to finish off if necessary. Have made an app't with one of tutors for an informal chat about how they think it might/might not work, so hoping they'll be positive.

hi...i have studied pregnant (twice across a four year course)and would say (without wanting to sound glib or like some smug superwoman) it is perfectly 'do-able'...it's actually quite nice...sort of like multitasking

the most important variable in all thi sis how your college/uni are able to support you...can they be flexible etc?

i must say that first time around was easier in terms of coping with fatigue and time management....but it's hard to predict what kind of pregnancy you will have...something like enduring m.sickness could really take the edge off your studying!(i feel v.lucky to have had a straightforward pregnancy with no niggles or probs to overcome)

you can do it...and CONGRATULATIONS

in my experience you dont automatically qualify for extenuating circs etc..

Had a baby September 18th. Uni term started September 25th, missed that week. Classes started Oct 2nd. I made it back into classes October 9th, so I had three weeks between birth and classes, and that was with a C-section. So perfectly doable (mine was a part-time masters, not full-time, but I was back to full-time work as well the following month). You need to ensure there is support to enable you to recover/sleep and so on, and there is probably a waiting list for the uni creche so book in there ASAP. I think it is easier to continue than to defer - the next year, when she will be starting to teeth and get round by herself is more exhausting I think than the first few months so I'd advise getting as much under your belt as possible.
And you have nothing to lose anyway - try it and see - you can always defer if you find it too difficult...

I've also done it, with twins too, and it's jsut a case of juggling a bit, and hopefully support from somewhere. Good luck and congratulations.

Hi glad you have had some proper advice re the studies. Here is the Feb thread we are on at the mo. Please do come and join us. I am due 2 Feb .

Bit of a naughty tip here: if you complete your 2nd year, take your baby with you to enrol for your third year. I queued for hours to enrol into my third year since it was first-come-first-served enrolment (they changed this in subsequent years) and was asked to make way for a woman who'd brought her baby with her in a sling as she needed to get home to feed her. If I'd thought of that (my dd was about 10wks old), I'd probably have been fast-tracked through as well instead of standing there growing old]. Obviously a woman with experience of HE bureaucracy .

Thanks guys, it's good to know other people have done it, so it's not like my decision needs to be an automatic 'definite deferral'. I guess I'll have a chat to the tutor next week, and maybe see if there's a student support type person to chat to as well, and see how it goes. Although not sure if it's better (due to fees, loan, etc) to start a year and have to defer halfway through, or to not start at all. Most complicated!

FioFio - I reckon i'd be the only pregnant person in the whole place too! I am 28, but the majority are definitely a lot younger, with a few late learners who are quite a bit older.

Hi Hannah, I am in my final year of a four year degree and due at the start of March...I totally understand the adjusting to being pregnant feeling and am trying to figure out how to juggle everything: "if I can get thesis totally finished before October can focus on first term up to Christmas then write a million essays over the holidays before giving birth and still graduate in June right???" kinda thing. It was great to find your thread and see that people have done this and are positive and supportive. It cheered me up a lot So good luck and take care!

I became pregnant with no.3 at the end of my first year of a p/t masters ( 5 years). I was given a year's maternity and now i'm starting back in October. I see alot of you ploughed through regardless and I am in awe. I felt absloutely shattered towards the end of my PG and I struggled with my assignment at 5mo. I would definitely not have managed another term, and there is no way i would have coped as a student this last year. i feel humbled tbh, i was just perusing this topic to see how people cope with being students with children, it was easier last time as ds is at school and dd1 was at nursery at the time. just starting to panic about juggling childcare and life generally with 3 dc. seeing what others have done assures me it is possible, but how do you do it without the sleep? panic, panic, panic, help!

i am a bit eek about this too. im due in April(12). i have no exams next year, just coursework (2nd year). i am worried if i can complete the year still?? thought i could try and do the coursework, but have extenuating circumstances (so extra time) from about Feb/March?

arrgghh

Arggghhh too...the dept secretary found out (as I was trying to find out schedule to work around) and with her "congratulations" email said that "So you will be taking the second term off then and coming back in Feb 2009"...Maybe, maybe not! It seems as though loads of you have made it through the final part of your course with a child/pregnancy and there will only be about 2 1/2 months left and no exams. Maybe I CAN do it? She did say that the uni has a nursery and they could take my baby while I am in class (next year, after 6 months) but I was kind of hoping to get out of Portsmouth by then. . Same as you HannahLB, I am 27 and a lot older than most of the students here although in my course there are quite a few 'mature' students and a great support network so some days I feel really hopeful and others just want to find a cave somewhere and ignore everyone

God, just come back to this thread after not logging in for a while - glad it's not just me going through this! Nice to hear from others out there too. Have made my decision pretty much that I'm going to give this year a go, and get as much done before Feb as possible, then do what I can to finish work up in any time I may have after baby is born. As it's a foundation degree, the second year is pass/fail rather than a graded year, so although it goes against my 'doing the best I can' instincts I should at least be able to get through with a pass even if I don't do much towards the end of the year.
The only thing is, is that I haven't managed to get hold of anyone at college to discuss my intentions yet as all tutors are on holiday, so hoping there won't be any problems with my decision.
Good luck Hannahmary and Scorpio1, it'd be great to know how you get on with sorting this out. It sounds really silly, but at the moment my main concern is turning up on the first day back with a big bump and getting stared at!

Hi Hannah LB, I've been waiting for profs to come in too, only the secretary is there and as I said, she just assumes that I will defer. As I'm not showing yet (13 weeks this weekend) I have yet to panic about the showing up with big bump but I'm sure that will take hold in the next month [eeep emoticom]
good luck!