Mummy students?

bagpuss38

Hi
I'm thinking of starting my access to midwifery in september, aiming for uni in 2014.
My daughter is currently in her 2nd year of uni.
I watched her struggling to balance a part time job and studying and although it is not putting me off, i am fretting that i am gonna struggle under looking after a family of 6, plus the house etc and studying.
Would love some inspiration for anyone who has found a balance between home and study plus any tips for staying sane?

flea72

If you have children and want to study midwifery, then you need fantastic childcare because you will be working shifts from the get go. And if you dont want to miss out on stuff, you volunteer to go in, even when it isnt your shift (espec if home births come up)

The acces course is a nice gentle ease into study, but since the nhs pay for your training when you get to uni, they really want their pound of flesh, so finding time for family, placement and study is very hard. But as with all things, it has its rewards and if money isnt a consideration, its one less thing to worry about (the bursary is a pittance)

You will need alot of family support, even if its only to help with housework and cooking tea. But remember, once qualified it wont get any easier as you will have to work f/t, so remember this is for the long haul

Other than that, its fun, so enjoy it

bagpuss38

Thank you so much for you very realistic and honest reply.
It has given me food for thought.
I suppose having spent nearly 20 years bringing up my own family i now feel its time, that they maybe did some of the work lol.

mummyofboys

Hi

I did an access to nursing course and started uni in sept 2011. I found it the access course very hard and to be honest it still feels like the hardest year of my life. I don;t know whether that is because it was my first time back into education, or the fact I am now used to the demands of studying.

I have two boys 6 & 3 and I couldn't do it without my mum to help the shifts are hardwork especially nights however it can be done. Placements are hardwork as you have to study, work and still look after your children but I say if you have a passion for it and are dedicated then go for it!

Bluebell1000

It's my husband who's the student in our household, and we have a 13 month old. Hubby is doing a PhD. We've agreed that he does childcare 1 day a week and he studies part time, for financial reasons as he's self-funding (out of my wage)... I see things from the other side, as I teach at a university and we have a number of mature students.

If your family is old enough to help around the home, give them tasks to do! You might have to accept that things may not be quite as clean as you'd like. Also make sure you have set 'study times' where you're not thinking about all the other things you need to do (this may be best done out of the home). As a bonus, you've probably already got plenty of experience in time management skills from balancing home/work/family life, so you just need to think about how best you can all work together to let you fulfil your ambitions.

Good luck x

bagpuss38

Thank you for all the replies!

The course i am hoping to undertake is on mon,tues,weds part time.

Hubby is able to move his shifts around to deal with most childcare issues and i have two big ones still at home to help with other stuff.

I must admit i do like the house to be a certain way , but realise that this may not be possible.

I'm excited by the challenges that this course poses, as i have been a stay at home mum for a v long time and i now need a fresh start.

Having wobbles at the mo regarding the maths aspect, as my numeracy skills aren't brill. But hoping to conquer this by studying with learn direct.

jackyann

You will find the other students & lecturers a great support.
My advice:
be clear about the jobs you expect to be done - draw up rotas, write down what you expect, be clear about standards & timings (this will be very good experience for dealing with both patients & management!)
Have a big calendar, either somewhere obvious or on the family computer, with everyone's whereabouts, and a space for notes.
Have a family meeting (we used to do this after Sunday dinner) just to go over anything that had arisen during the week, to be aware of next week etc. Could take anything from 5 mins to an hour, but was invaluable.
Encourage the nicer side of housework - teach the kids some cooking whilst you're still at home and have rotas for meals.

Schedule in some time for doing assignments etc at college away from the distractions of home.
I always scheduled a day off at the end of the school summer holidays to make sure all was ready for the new school year (and another day after they went back just for me!)
Tell them about your achievements and let the family celebrate them as you do with the kids - you will be a great role model for them
Good luck!
PS: maths is basic sensible stuff, if you've run a family budget, you'll be fine!

flea72

bagpuss38 wrote: »

Having wobbles at the mo regarding the maths aspect, as my numeracy skills aren't brill. But hoping to conquer this by studying with learn direct.

dont worry, its not even gcse level C stuff, so nothing too taxing.

Just basic sums like i have a 1ltr botle of liquid, how many 50ml cups, can i fill. Or if i have to give meds 4 times a day at regular intervals, what times would i adminster them if the first dose was at 7am

So mainly volumes and times, so brushing up on conversions from mls to ltrs, etc. would be helpful. Tbh, you might find just reading through your kids gcse text books and looking at bbc bitesize would be just as beneficia. Also the access course gives you a level 2 in maths, so theres no need to do the learn direct course as its the same

F

nikki2804

I'm studying Law and not midwifery but I've found it a little hard to juggle everything. For instance the housework is building up because OH doesn't do as much as he should. He forgets that between studying and work I am out the house more than him.

My LO is 3 but he goes to the nursery attached to the college so thats fine. I'm currently pregnant though and I'm not looking forward to juggling it all next year. Will all be worth it in the end though.

chonorla

I am a mummy student currently studying for a Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice. I have a 14 year old boy, 4 year old girl and 3 year old boy. I am also 34 weeks pregnant with baby number 4. My 14 year old is good and helps where he can, but he is currently doing exams and revising so I just ask him to keep his room tidy and watch the little ones while I get a bath etc.

My dh works full time and I gave up work to do my MA - I used to work 3 days a week, but I have suffered with hyperemesis throughout this pregnancy and spent a lot of time in hospital, and I just couldn't juggle everything

I am lucky to have a very supportive dh which helps enormously. We only have my mum to help out and she works full time and has severe arthritis, so rarely has the children. My little boy will start pre-school (2.5 hours a day) in September and does not go to playgroup or nursery at the moment, but I will then have a baby to look after instead.

It is very hard work and I agree the housework does get me down. I am a little OCD and I can get quite frustrated when I have loads of jobs to do but an assignment has to come first :mad:. Dh is very good and will have a go at what I ask, and he always does the washing up and hoovering anyway.

I agree with the making sure you leave the house to study, as I am awful if I just go upstairs - I find loads of things to do before I can settle down to do any work My dh works shifts, so we literally do one in and one out and I go to the uni library instead. But because I can't go everyday I sometimes have to spend up to 7-8 hours at a time there as I know its my only chance all week.

I have had a few melt downs just at the sheer thought of the workload, but have come through them I am unable to take any sort of maternity break so have to just crack on with my next assignment which is due 3 weeks after baby :eek: but I am getting there.

Be realistic about what you can manage and I am now able to relax a little as long as I know uniforms are washed and we all have clean pj's and undies and the basics have been done.

It can become addictive studying though, I did my BA as a single mum to a 4 year old, now my MA and keep looking at my options for a PHD.......

Above all, enjoy it!!!! You will manage and get into your own routine. And lots of good luck

bagpuss38

Jackyann -thank you very much for your constructive advice, i loving the idea of a rota. We used to have family meeting, i dont know why we stopped them!

Flea72-
That reassuring to know, i have a numeracy certificate but no GCSE in maths.
I will look up all you have suggested and practice, thanks for the heads up:D

Nikki2804-
I'm sure we will both get there in the end, as you say it will be all be worth it!

Chonorla-
Sorry to hear you have been poorly this pregnancy, but kudos to you for keeping up the studying!

One i thing i have taken on board from all your advice is the need to leave the house to study.
I hadnt really thought about this, but i guess it makes sense and i will have to make time.
Saying that i have v little time for myself now, so i am worried about fitting it all in.
Hopefully everything will fall into place and the family will just have to get on with it.:D

I now have the application form in my possession and am gonna fill in this week, just wanna make sure i get it all right.