school and baby.. possible?

hey there i'm kind of new, and having a bubs in dec! hoping its not early because then i would miss my exams which are stressing me out majorly. just a question out to you mums, do u think its possible for me to have a baby and continue doing 6th form schooling by correspondence school? i just dont want to throw my education away what do u reckon?

Definitely possible - I did it!

I had finished high school, but was half way thru uni when I got pregnant. I did one semester off campus by correspondence when she was newborn, then went back to school full time and put her in daycare when she was 5 mths old. I graduated when she was 14 mths.

It was hard work and pretty stressful, but the best advice I can give you is to ask for help when you need it. I found my teachers were more than happy to let me leave early to breastfeed or miss class when Maya was sick, or give me an extension if I needed one. All I had to do was ask.

Correspondence was easier than on campus in some ways, as I could work at my own pace and around Maya's sleep times. But I had to be really motivated, and some days I would sleep instead of study . It was good practise for me tho coz now I work from home so I have to be disciplined about that too.

Good luck!

Is there a Teen Parent Unit at a school nearby? They are very very supportive if you do have access to one.
Otherwise correspondance is a great way to continue your education - I dropped out half way through 6th form when I was pregnant with Arna and haven't got round to finishing 6th form or attempting any sort of study!! Looking back I wish I had!!

There are also some scools where they send you the work they are doing and a teacher (usually career ed, dean etc) come out once a week or so and help you through the bits you are struggling with.

IF baby does come early you can apply to either do the exam at the same time but at home or if you have done well all year they send all your internal and external work away and they give you a mark depending on the work you did during the year (hope that made sense)

Any more ?'s just PM me

Edited by lenabeanz

Too bad that they're not happy having pregnant teens around - they legally cannot exclude you from school because you're pregnant, unless you have a medical condition which means it is not safe to be at school.

I have several friends who got pregnant at high school and carried thru till the end of the year/term before they were due.

Teen parent units are great, they are where teen mums can go and study towards a high school or tech course and take their babies with them and the babies are looked after while they study. A couple of the Mum's on here go to one in Hamilton I think.

And like Lena said, if bubs comes early arrangements can be made. I missed 2 exams in my final semester at uni because Maya was in hospital and they arranged for me to sit them later on.

Don't give up tho, education is soooo important. For me it has been the difference between being a single mum on the benefit with no direction or future, to becoming successful and independent in my career, which in turn makes me a more confident and onto it Mum.

Staying at uni after I fell pregnant is the best example I can possibly have set for Maya.

Hiya!
You can definitely do it!
I was at uni when I fell pregnant, did a semester by correspondance while pregnant and was finishing off assignments 2 days before Hannah was born (my God it was painful being at the computer for hours on end, my back was killing me!)
I found correspondance near impossible, not because I was pregnant but because I was really lazy!
I'm back at uni now and loving it!

Your timing is actually pretty perfect, (providing your babe doesn't come early) you can have the baby once you finish exams, relax for a few months and then decide if school is right for you!

You can definitely do it tho. Really sucks that Nelson doesn't have a teen unit... perhaps there might be a school which has a childcare centre nearby which you could use?

Good luck!

mmmm apparently... don't rely on it, be ready two weeks before your due date just in case!

atleast with all the family around you will get lots of people to help you!!!

i'm really impressed with your motivation to continue school... it's good stuff!

hey there - looks like, i missed the bus... lol. usually would be the first to answer this sorta thing lolol

definately you can do it - like everyone else has said - it can be hard - sbut nothing in life comes without some degree of work. I fell preggers with Paris at the end of my 1st yr of nursing study, cut along story short - the uni i am at mucked me around a bit with part time papers and i am now only finally doing my 3rd year of nursing, it took me 2 years to do the 6 months worth of papers i had to pull out of after i had Paris... and I have had another baby in the meantime - so i now have a 2 yr old and a 5 month old as well as studying full time. i actually wish i COULD study by correspondence - no daycare fees, no having to leave baby,   I have found that s long as i actually plan out what is due and when, and take time to work on it early on, then i am usually pretty ok by the time it is due to be handed in. You can definately do it. it's good that your family has said that they will support you - take them up on the offers.. an hour babysitting here or there - even if they are at your house and just bring baby to you to feed (if you are b-feeding) you can get alot done when you know you only have a set amount of time.   good luck - don't count on baby being overdue - that's pretty much an old wives tale - lol same as first labours being 12 hours or more - many of us here can tell you that ours were far shorter (although some were much olonger too!) we are all here to help and give advice too - there are a few of us that have done what you are doing, are are still living it... me included. it can be tough but think of what you can achieve and what a great role model you'll be for your baby.

I went early with Maya. She was born 10 days before her due date.

Sounds good Liz. I have just signed up to do a correspondence course too. I am getting really bored!!!!

Ahhh nikki remeber "Cs make degrees". it's my mantra