Any vet school mommas out there??

[Tech2Vet]

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Hi everyone!

I just posted this on the pre-vet forum, but then I realized I should probably be posting this on the vet school student forum....so here goes:

I'm so happy that I got my acceptance to vet school (it's been a long road!) but now I'm getting a little nervous about juggling mommyhood and school. I'm currently pregnant and I'm due this summer. I'm deferring a year so I can stay home with the little one for that time, but I'm still concerned about managing my time when I do go to school.

Any advice or words of wisdom? Do schools generally offer daycare or who takes care of your little one during school hours?

Thanks!

 

[LVT2DVM]

Welcome and Congrats...
l
Mom of 3 here (12, 7 & 5)
We moved from DE to GA and my husband is working part-time, so he is at home when the kids get home from school, but if not they would be in after school care.
We are in a small community where it is very hard to find daycare, so hopefully you are in more of a metro area (Raleigh perhaps?)
My only regret is that we have NO family here to help out. If my DH had a FT job, if the kids got sick and had to stay home (which is often enuf) that he would probably have very unhappy employers because it seems as though the kids colds know exactly when my exams are and I can never stay home.
UGA is pretty good about letting parents miss class (and exams if need be) for sick kids, but I HATE make-up exams, so I don't dare attempt it.

The worst thing is missing special school events and parent teacher conferences bc I have to attend classes...Oh and of course the endless studying...but that depends on how you study. Are you married? I definitely could not do this without my DH but there is a single mom in our class that seems to work things out just fine.

any specific ??, shoot me an PM

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

jochebed...although I haven't seen her post much. I think she is a fourth year, so undoubtedly quite busy.

 

[ginabeana2014]

Hey....I am balancing being a single mom to a four year old and vet school. It can be challenging but you can totally do it!! Are you moving some where new when you go to school or staying locally? Do you have family that are willing and able to help you out? I am away from my daughter's father and my family so sometimes it is hard but my professors and fellow students are amazing.
Feel free to send me a message on here and I can talk to you about specifics.
My daughter is in daycare; she used to go to one that was 7 am-7 pm. The one she is in now is 7 am-5 pm but I usually drop her off around 8:20 and pick her up around 5:20 or so. Daycares can be expensive (we live in Philly) but aren't as expensive everywhere.
Hope to talk to you soon!!
Gina

 

[WIDVM]

Congrats on vet school and your new edition!

My advice would be to start looking at daycares early. It was a little tough to find one that we liked, had the right hours, and was affordable. Also when they're under two, the caretaker to child ratio is pretty low so it can be tough to secure a spot. If your school offers an childcare financial assistance, they might have restrictions on which daycares you can attend too.

Overall, balancing school and my daughter hasn't been too bad. Exam time gets a little hairy and the occasional sick/ daycare closed day can be a challenge but they are way more understanding at school then any of my previous employers would have been.

Good luck and if you have any more questions fell free to pm me!

 

[Tech2Vet]

Thanks everyone for your comments and tips! I really appreciate it. I'm planning to look into daycares and nannies. Unfortunately, I won't have any family close by but I think my husband and I can make it work. Of course as you all say it will be tough, but I've wanted to attend vet school for so long, I can't imagine passing up the opportunity now. Which is actually one of my other worries.

I'm concerned that once I have the baby it'll seem a little too easy to just be a stay at home mom vs. moving across the country/finding somewhere to live/starting at a new school. My husband is supportive of my vet school aspirations, but he even has the thought in his head that I might want to put off vet school once I have the baby. I'm really going to try and stay motivated - but does anyone have any input on this??
Thanks!

 

[WIDVM]

I really wanted to inspire my daughter to follow her dreams and always be able support herself, so that was very motivational to keep me going. Also, I didn't find the stay at home mom gig to be all that easy, that helped too🙂