Letters From Listeners

Hi Dr. Laura - 

I'm a guide at a nursing website and we had a question this morning from a first-time mom who is about to give birth. She wanted to know if she should continue to do her pre-reqs for nursing school with a newborn and asked for examples of how other women completed school with one. Any time this issue comes up, we try to be very careful not to start a mommy-war, but it happens. One answer really riled me up and made me want to go "Dr. Laura" on her, but I managed to merely answer the original poster. I did want to send you the post that made me angry because it shows exactly the mindset of some parents today. The quote is below: 

"The first few weeks are most definitely not magical in any sense of the term. Your son will not notice or care if you're not around playing with him 24/7 during that time and in fact you may welcome the distraction of school. In my experience, the first few months of having my child were absolutely miserable and I'd have lost my mind if I hadn't had a job and school to distract me from the grind of taking care of baby. My mom did nursing school with a newborn, she worked out an arrangement with her professors and brought my older brother to class with her while he was in that tiny, sleeps-and-eats phase. When he got too big for that, she put him in day care. Honestly, school is doable with a newborn and a good support system, but it will take a lot of time management, prioritization, organization, all that good stuff. Know yourself. Will you be able to focus and study and do well enough to get the grades you need in the midst of the crazy? If not, disregard my above advice and take time off to adjust to being a parent. Good luck all around and do try to enjoy that new baby, even though it can be very trying at times!"