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9 months pregnant and finals- a terrible idea?

2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  t2009 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I am due with my second baby in March of next year- a few days after finals are due. I'm in a master's program which is pretty demanding but I have excelled at so far - I'm halfway through. It requires me to be in class 3 hours a class, 3 days a week. I am wondering if anyone has done this before, and if it's too ridiculous to even consider. I know it's so much harder to work with an infant than being pregnant - so I thought it might be worth trying to forge ahead through the last trimester and then take the next quarter off. Also, it's financially very stressful for our family to not receive the student loans that I receive while I am in school. I know that pregnancy is unpredictable and there may very well be unforeseen circumstances but I thought I might see if anyone has some words of wisdom for me- thanks!

Antonia
 
#2 ·
I've done it before (undergrad) and it is hard. Really Hard. I actually had my daughter the week of midterms, right before spring break. Since I was forthcoming about my pregnancy and the possibility of rescheduling an exam, I didn't have any problems. But it was hard.

I'm in a similar position now--I'm due literally the week after finals in a graduate program. I have class 4 hours, 2 nights a week. Then I have a 2.5 week break before the next term starts. Not looking forward to that. I've found that as long as you're honest and communicate openly, most professors don't have an issue with it.

Just be sure to be extra gentle with yourself and allow for extra time for finishing assignments, etc. I always have a snack (or 10) and something to drink with me (usually water, sometimes a tea, etc). Good luck!
 
#3 ·
It seems like a 50/50 chance--everything might be fine and you can study and get through the finals....or you could go early. Would it work to make arrangements ahead of time with the professors to take incompletes if you go into labor early and then finish the exams as soon as you can after your baby is born?
 
#4 ·
Thanks for your responses, MamaChel and lauren - I guess the whole situation is going to rely on how flexible the professors are willing to be. My finals are also almost always papers rather than tests, which I could possibly get done ahead of time. I'm definitely considering forging ahead at this point if possible. Thanks so much for the feedback, it's really helpful. I'm so anxious about the whole thing!
 
#5 ·
I was in this position last semester. I was due right when finals started- I spent the whole semester talking with the dean and teachers to work things out, intending to finish it up a week before the EDD. LO came 2 weeks early.
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Papers are so much easier than tests- I got permission to finish 2 assignments late (not sure if that's an option for you), and in another class I front-loaded my work so I was finished a few weeks before the end of semester. I tried to do that in a 3rd class, I took it after talking to the teacher and making it clear that I wanted to do a lot of work over winter break and finish a month early, but the teacher is a @#$@#$@ and made me do a month's extra work instead. She was the least sympathetic throughout my entire pregnancy and least willing to work with me, not fun!
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I had to go to the dean to get her to work with me when the baby came early. >(
 
#6 ·
Silly Sapling - thanks for your reply and congratulations on your new little one :) I'm definitely going to have to choose professors wisely for that quarter - I can definitely think of some that I know would be completely inflexible ( like the one you mentioned) - and I wouldn't be surprised if they punished me with more work, too. I'm just going to hope this baby stays in there until after finals!
 
#7 ·
If I was in your position, I would stick it out unless any bed rest issues happen. While I was pregnant I was taking two clases and ended up to go on bed rest, i still think I should have stayed in those classes, because I had to retake them anyways. And the work was just sitting for lecture and of course all of the homework and papers aside. As a mommy and college student you defaintly haven't come This far in your class to "quit" just to retake the course over. Best of luck, you can do this!
 
#8 ·
I was just googling this because I may find myself in a similar dilemma with #2! (I happened to join the mothering forums the other day, haven't properly introduced myself yet but plan to - I'm Melissa. :) )

With my first, I got pregnant during the fall semester (unplanned but welcomed!) and was 30 weeks pregnant during finals. I was full time as well. It really wasn't bad at all. At 30 weeks, I felt very energetic and not terribly huge yet. It was super manageable to me, but I was blessed with a very easy going pregnancy.

Now we are looking to ttc. Because of different timing reasons, originally we looked at September, which is FINALLY just around the corner. But that would put me at 37 weeks during finals & graduation. I started having second thoughts & we figured we should push it back to October - at least then I'd be more like 33 weeks, which was much more tolerable during my first. But I am feeling so darn eager, I feel like just going for it...then think, what am I getting myself into...

I did feel pretty good still at 37 weeks last time for what it's worth. I was actually taking a follow up class online up until my duedate, but it was easier because it was online & I wasn't required to put for any effort to get anywhere. But I felt like I could have still kept up with school. I *did* take a temporary nanny job through week 38 as well. For me, it was about week 39 where I started to feel useless & overly huge.

I would just make sure you manage your time well, get your rest as best as possible, and keep very healthy/hydrated. See if you can possibly work ahead - that definitely helps! You will get through it, and it is definitely doable. :)
 
#9 ·
Update!

I thought I'd update this post in case anyone was in the same dilemma. I had my daughter three days after my last final of the quarter. It was hard but it was do-able. I made sure that I took classes with professors who would be somewhat sympathetic and I spoke to them ahead of time. I'm really glad that I persevered. I didm't think I would make it to that last one (and neither did my midwife), but I did - and I got all A's :)
 
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