Nursing/midwife student mamas?

[NEWMAMA2021]

Any mums here a nursing or midwifery student?

im really considering midwifery but I’m so scared. DS is 6.5mo so I feel guilty like I’d miss so much

part of me thinks about waiting until I’m done having kids and they’re in school so that if I do a night shift I get to come home take them to school then sleep before pick up and another shift!

But I don’t know is it manageable? I do want another baby so do I wait??

tips and stories please

I am currently a first year mental health nurse student. The placements are usually twice an academic year, most places you would do three or four days 12 hour shifts like a nurse would. Not sure for a midwife but I assume the same. The days are long and nights are hard. I have a 5 year old girl and I am currently three months preg with my second which I’m struggling with morning sickness. My uni are happy for me to stay in uni until 36 weeks, not sure how I will manager with placements when I’m at that stage.

when I do my shifts for placement I have to put my daughter in morning club before school which only starts at 8, my shift starts at 7 so my partner takes her and then she goes into after school club until 5 then my partner picks her up as he works full time and then my shift finishes around half 8. Some placements I can be driving an hour to and then an hour home.

as of now, I plan to carry on until I physically can’t and will most likely have to do a retrieval placement next summer to make up my missed placement. The placement il miss starts the week after my due date so I doubt I will be in any shape to do it, but this is something uni will support me with nearer the time.

I don’t want postpone uni for a year after the baby comes and hope to Graduate with my class but it will be a massive juggle . Student finance pay towards childcare costs as well , we aren’t eligible for universal credit as they take student finance into account and my partners wage but you can always check for yourself.

hope I have helped a bit lol x

@Lmf685 this has been so helpful thank you!

so how long are the placements like a month at a time or a few? Or just a few weeks with those days in etc

Some can be 12 weeks , some 8 weeks . All unis are different as well, I met a few students from another uni in placement and there’s was a 16 week one, usually three or four days each week. It can be intense when you do long ones especially if you are driving an hour or two to get there. Some students on my course don’t drive and it take some of them 2-3 hours just to get to placement . My uni allow up to four hours commute, both ways so that can be tough if you don’t drive. You do get so much money back for travel sometimes but I’d rather just not be hours away to begin with

x

Honestly I would wait a bit. The nursing program is really tough, the placement hours are variable but equate to full time, some placements allow you to choose shifts others do not. Also if you need time off is baby is sick you have to make up the hours. It is exhausting. As op said placements are not always local either.