Scared Pregnant Mama >>> college to career transition

[katiemaeeee]

Hi fellow Working/Student Mamas,

I am six months pregnant, due August 9, with our first baby, a little girl. I am so excited, we are so excited!

I am in my last semester at a public university studying social services. Right now I am doing a full-time internship with Child Protective Services in social work. I really, really LOVE it! There are only two weeks left though and then I graduate and with the state budget and our newly elected conservative republican governor I don't anticipate any positions being available for a few months at least. If this internship could just evolve right into a job and I could start right away that would be a perfect solution, but it is very unlikely. So, that leaves me in search of my first post-college job, visibly pregnant and desperately in need of a paycheck coming in.

So, here I am, 25, six months pregnant, about to start searching for a career. I wish I could just take time off and have the baby and hang out with her for a while before going back to work, but DP doesn't make enough and I had to quit both my part-time jobs to do the internship full-time and I wasn't paid for it. Our savings have been cleaned out and I have some debt leftover from some bad decision making on my part when I was 18-20. Not to mention I am about $50,000 in debt for my education which I am sure I'll have to start paying back asap. (All of the loans are federal, not private so I am hoping they'll work with me, so, basically taking time off isn't an option.) DP's job doesn't have health insurance either which our little family is obviously going to desperately need.

I can not sleep at night because I am so stressed out. I found five open casework jobs today online and I can not bring myself to write the cover letters. It is suddenly hitting me that our precious little baby will end up in a daycare forty + hours a week and through my internship I have really been realizing just how much energy social work takes! But, I LOVE it too. It is the first work I have ever done where I don't just stare at a clock all day and I feel good leaving at the end of the day. So, maybe I am just scared and hormonal. I just already feel like a bad Mom because I don't have all of these details worked out and there is no way I'll be able to be a SAHM. *sigh*

I am going to stop venting now and get to work and get these cover letters and resumes out asap and if I haven't got a call back within a month then I'll give myself license to panic. It would be wonderful to hear success stories from other mamas who are making it work. And, is it super, super, super hard to get hired when you are visibly pregnant? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

[imyself]

First of all, congratulations on the baby and on being so close to finishing your degree!

Second, try not to freak out too much, even though you have a lot of stress on your plate. One way that I handle uncertainty and stress is to take things one step at a time. Put your energy into applying for the jobs, and take the rest as it comes. For now, leave the things that are uncertain and that you can't control or figure out right now aside. (Believe me, I know how hard that is to do).

One thing to think about is getting a deferral on your student loan payments. You will have a grace period of 6 months after you graduate (9 months in some cases) before you have to start paying your federal loans, and you may be able to defer for longer if you're experiencing financial hardships. So that gets you a little time to get you your feet.

Congratulations again on the baby coming!

[erigeron]

A forbearance on loans (deferral is for when you're in school, but they function essentially the same way except interest still piles up during a forbearance) is definitely an option. We've had my husband's loans in forbearance for 4 years now while I've been in school (ugh, I know, but it would have taken half his monthly salary each month to pay on them, and there was no way we could afford that). All he had to do was submit a statement each year saying that he couldn't afford to make payments and why.

How do you get health insurance now? Do you have it through your university? Will they let you extend it through the summer after you graduate? Might you and the babe qualify for Medicaid?

[Areia]

Congratulations on your little one!  Can I ask how much time are you planning on taking after the baby is born - around a month?  I would be upfront about your needs. Mention in the interviews that you can start right away and then will only be gone for a month.  That will give you a couple of months working (assuming a May/June start date) before you take leave and, even with a position I needed to fill ASAP, I could deal with that.  It's just like someone's normal vacation.  

ETA - I just wanted to reassure you that your baby will be fine in day care  :)  My mom couldn't take any time after I was born and was back at work after little more than a week.   I stayed at a wonderful home day care and am still, more than 35 years later, very close to my sitter.  She's like another grandma.  I've also always had a super close relationship with my mom.  I know its worrisome, but it will all work out.