Baby during didactic or clinical phase?

[IdahoPA]

I asked a question but on second thought, I'll just start a new thread.

[Corpsman2PA]

Even once I was in PA school, reading all the discouraging messages would stress the hell out of me! Because of reading messages here and listening to negative messages from people, I ended up dropping out because I "thought" I couldn't do it.

 

I then got off of this forum, changed my thinking process, reapplied, went back (with a 6 month kid at home), got in, graduated with honors!

 

Okay...really? The PA forums and its "negativity" caused you to drop out of PA school...right. Yet in another post you say "If you suck in PA school, it's probably because you're bad with time management or just plain lazy and tend to procrastinate." So which one is it? I have a hard time believing that an online forum led to your PA school demise. Just because differences of opinion, perspective or tone differ from you, does not indicate "stressful negativity." If I were the OP, I'd welcome all the feedback; whether viewed as positive, negative, etc. Weigh my options, and make an informed decision based off of a multitude of factors outside this forum. The views here aren't the "end all be all."

[melk2121]

Okay...really? The PA forums and its "negativity" caused you to drop out of PA school...right. Yet in another post you say "If you suck in PA school, it's probably because you're bad with time management or just plain lazy and tend to procrastinate." So which one is it? I have a hard time believing that an online forum led to your PA school demise. Just because differences of opinion, perspective or tone differ from you, does not indicate "stressful negativity." If I were the OP, I'd welcome all the feedback; whether viewed as positive, negative, etc. Weigh my options, and make an informed decision based off of a multitude of factors outside this forum. The views here aren't the "end all be all."

You can believe whatever you want, but I was all of the above. I was lazy, and I did procrastinate. And yes, I thought I sucked in PA school and this forum just confirmed those thoughts. This forum made me think that PA school is just too hard for me and I can't do it. But once I took time away from school and was able to get away from all the "NEGATIVENESS" people on this forum and in reality spread around, I was able to gain confidence in myself. I went back and I was the same person with the same potential, but just with a different point of view....and I went from failing to GRADUATING WITH HONORS. I'm just trying to say that a point of view can change everything. If you have a positive view, you will look at life with entirely in a different way. Ok think about it for one sec, the first time I was in PA school, I had no child, all the money in the world, and just because of my negative attitude (I can't do this attitude), I had to drop out of PA school because I wasn't doing well. I had to drop in just the first semester. I was always feeling like I couldn't do it, so you tend to be lazy and depressed as a result.When I changed my attitude, I decided that I'm not going to listen to what others say and I'm going to do this regardless of the comments and advise from others.....I went back to PA school, this time with a little baby at home and not much money (because circumstances had changed), I took the same exact classes, and this time I graduated with honors. In the second case, things were against me, but just because I changed my attitude and outlook, everything changed!IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE "I CAN DO THIS ATTITUDE" in order to do well in PA school! IF YOU HAVE THIS ATTITUDE, YOU WILL ACTUALLY WANT TO STUDY AND YOU WON'T TEND TO BE LAZY. I think that you people have misunderstood what I'm saying here. All I'm saying is that if you have a kid, don't think that you can't get through PA School. I know many people who did, and I myself did. That's all!

[vaston]

You can believe whatever you want, but I was all of the above. I was lazy, and I did procrastinate. And yes, I thought I sucked in PA school and this forum just confirmed those thoughts. This forum made me think that PA school is just too hard for me and I can't do it. But once I took time away from school and was able to get away from all the "NEGATIVENESS" people on this forum and in reality spread around, I was able to gain confidence in myself. I went back and I was the same person with the same potential, but just with a different point of view....and I went from failing to GRADUATING WITH HONORS. I'm just trying to say that a point of view can change everything. If you have a positive view, you will look at life with entirely in a different way. Ok think about it for one sec, the first time I was in PA school, I had no child, all the money in the world, and just because of my negative attitude (I can't do this attitude), I had to drop out of PA school because I wasn't doing well. I had to drop in just the first semester. I was always feeling like I couldn't do it, so you tend to be lazy and depressed as a result.When I changed my attitude, I decided that I'm not going to listen to what others say and I'm going to do this regardless of the comments and advise from others.....I went back to PA school, this time with a little baby at home and not much money (because circumstances had changed), I took the same exact classes, and this time I graduated with honors. In the second case, things were against me, but just because I changed my attitude and outlook, everything changed!IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE "I CAN DO THIS ATTITUDE" in order to do well in PA school! IF YOU HAVE THIS ATTITUDE, YOU WILL ACTUALLY WANT TO STUDY AND YOU WON'T TEND TO BE LAZY. I think that you people have misunderstood what I'm saying here. All I'm saying is that if you have a kid, don't think that you can't get through PA School. I know many people who did, and I myself did. That's all!

 

I know this will sound brutal, but I'm not sure how I would feel about possibly being treated by someone that is so very easily influenced by the opinions of complete strangers on an internet forum. I am astounded that you are putting partial blame for your dropping out on this site. I hope, for the sake of your patients, that you have confidence in your abilities now. Regardless, good on ya for going back.......

[melk2121]

oh so you live in a perfect little world where the people that treat you have no problems whatsoever? Let me bring you to reality, forget PA's, many many doctors live in depression! The key is not to let your personal life interfere with your professional life....and that is what I learned the hard way. You want to be treated only by someone who has 100% control over their life, no emotions, and has never made any mistakes? Ok then, I think you should try another planet. Honestly, this forum is more like a "put people down zone" more than anything else. It's a good thing for me that I learned not to care what people say a long time ago....but please for the sake of those who are still learning, don't write such messages.

[melk2121]

I know this will sound brutal, but I'm not sure how I would feel about possibly being treated by someone that is so very easily influenced by the opinions of complete strangers on an internet forum. I am astounded that you are putting partial blame for your dropping out on this site. I hope, for the sake of your patients, that you have confidence in your abilities now. Regardless, good on ya for going back.......

We all make mistakes.....but the main thing is that we should rise above and learn from them and not let them repeat again. We all have times in our life when we feel like we aren't good enough to do something, and people/forums etc.. can just make your situation worse. Doctors are known to have the highest depression rate than other profession, but does that mean those doctors are not good doctors? No of course not. Whether or not someone is a good health care provider depends on their skills and knowledge, not based on some insecurities they had in the past. Thanks for the last nice comment. Going back to PA school was the best decision I ever made.

[vaston]

oh so you live in a perfect little world where the people that treat you have no problems whatsoever? Yes I do, you should join me. It's very nice. Let me bring you to reality (yes, please do. I like reality, I only get to hear about it from others), forget PA's, many many doctors live in depression!(gasp, no way!) The key is not to let your personal life interfere with your professional life....and that is what I learned the hard way. You want to be treated only by someone who has 100% control over their life, no emotions, and has never made any mistakes? Ok then, I think you should try another planet(I'm open to suggestions). Honestly, this forum is more like a "put people down zone" more than anything else. It's a good thing for me that I learned not to care what people say a long time ago....but please for the sake of those who are still learning, don't write such messages. (OK, OK... please see the sarcasm in my red comments........)

 

Please clarify..... was it this forum, or depression, that caused you to quit PA school? You are sending mixed signals here.

 

One challenge with online forums is the tendency for people to jump immediately to extremes, like your insinuation that I have no clue that my colleagues and other providers suffer from things like depression. As unfounded as that accusation is, you are free to make it I suppose.

 

I just can't, for the life of me, figure out your posts. You blame the negativity of this forum for making you drop out of school. Then you proceed to post negative and inflammatory responses to those questioning you. Then you suggest, but never state clearly in the above post, that it was actually depression that forced you to quit school. So which is it?

 

'but please for the sake of those who are still learning, don't write such messages.' Actually, for the sake of those learning, I hope they are strong enough to think for themselves and not be influenced by my random lame posts on a forum. As much as I like to agree with myself, I don't expect very many people to jump on that train.

[melk2121]

it's funny how people who liked my comments and actually want my advice send me so many private messages, and then those who just like to find points to argue against write the public messages. Whoever wrote the last message, I just read the first two sentences and decided not to read the rest and won't. If you want to spread your negative attitude, go ahead, what goes around comes around. For those of you who sent private messages, really appreciate it and I will respond by tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

[vaston]

it's funny how people who liked my comments and actually want my advice send me so many private messages, and then those who just like to find points to argue against write the public messages. Whoever wrote the last message, I just read the first two sentences and decided not to read the rest and won't. If you want to spread your negative attitude, go ahead, what goes around comes around. For those of you who sent private messages, really appreciate it and I will respond by tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

 

Sigh. The age old 'I didn't even read your comment and never will!' approach. I'm glad you got so many positive and reassuring pm's.

 

I still think my question regarding this forum vs depression is a legitimate one.

 

Throughout my life there have been many that have disagreed with me. Some of them vehemently. I didn't enjoy hearing their criticism, but it made me stronger. There have been many others that have strongly supported me. I enjoyed their praise. That's what makes us all valuable individuals. If we agreed on everything then creativity and free thinking would be gone.

 

Too bad you didn't finish reading the post, the self deprecating portion was intended to let you know that I don't think I am the end-all be-all when it comes to life. Hence the encouragement for others here to think critically and think for themselves.

[Seijou]

Please stop talking about how much you dislike the forum. I think we understand, however, earlier in this thread you basically shrugged off how I was trying to explain to you that my own advice for the OP was said with good intent (as were some of the other 'discouraging' advise given by other members were also said with good intentions) and you practically shrugged that off. I think the reality is that you don't care what we say - you think you're so right (and also you think you are so positive). Your opinions can hurt someone just as much as they can help someone (that's the other side of the coin).

 

While I understand what you are saying - nobody is perfect, I see that your posts are really very emotional, and I'm not sure if that's helping your case. They pointed out some major flaws and sometimes you can't dig yourself out. As much as you're pressing and promoting your idea of positivity, I also see that you are taking quite an attitude in your posts and I'm not sure if that's where you're trying to head.

[Seijou]

Sigh. The age old 'I didn't even read your comment and never will!' approach.

 

That's exactly what it is (and which is why I said "Oh you're one of those people" earlier in the conversation).

 

I see your argument (Vaston's) and Corpsman2PA's argument as totally valid but what you're receiving in return is just a lot of emotion from melk2121.

[jassied]

To be quite honest, you people here really are discouraging and anytime someone comes on here and says the truth, a few try to put that person down. I have a friend who lived in a car while he was in PA school. He ate Raman Noodles for the entire two years for lunch and dinner. The only time he got any other food was when I brought it for him. He studied and slept in his car!! I'm not even sure how he managed to take showers. His undergrad GPA was 3.2. If he can do it, any one of you can do it! You have to think about how much passion he must have had to be in that situation and still finish PA school. Passion and confidence is really what it takes. If you have that, you can overcome anything. So don't even compare having a little baby to living in poverty and going to grad school. There is no comparison. I know there will be people out there who will still try to bash my post just like you did to melk but you know what, anyone who truly wants to get the message out of my post, will get it.

[Planteater]

jassied- have you ever had & raised a baby?

[jassied]

umm that's why I'm commenting on the topic. Yes I have one! Please stop making to sound harder than it is!

[jassied]

Ok, this message is for the ladies. Let's put an end to this topic. PA school is doable with a baby as long as you work extra hard and believe in yourself! You will need help here and there. Ask your hubby to help out and if possible ask your mom or mother in law to help a little. You will need to work harder than others but YOU CAN DO IT! I can name so many women who I know did it. myself included. Like melk said, having a baby will be hard no matter when you have one. Once you're working, you will also be super busy. It's not like you can be with the baby all the time then also....so just like in PA school you need a little help, you will need the same amount of help with the baby if you have one while working as a PA. It's as simple as that. PA school is just a couple of years but you will be working for your entire life and may decide to have several kids while working. So don't stress over the issue too much.

 

And there is not use to argue about it on this forum. If you think that you're not a good student and aren't disciplined, then maybe you can't do it. But if you did well in undergrad overall and know how to manage your time, YOU CAN DO IT! I'm not arguing with anyone, just saying stop discouraging women with children from going to PA school when in reality many women do go and succeed.

[IdahoPA]

I don't think anyone was arguing; they were offering different perspectives. You don't have to agree with the other half, but that doesn't make them less valid. Pretending that going into two stressful situations at the same time (baby and school) is doable with only a "can do" attitude and time management skills is both dangerous and misleading.

 

No one is saying not to do it (and who cares if they were? I don't take commands about my family from anonymous internet groups) or that it's impossible (because clearly women do it all the time), they're just cautioning that it won't be easy. I, for one, appreciate the input from those who have had kids and honestly tell me of the additional difficulties I might face were I to have a baby during the program. I hadn't even considered the possibilities of my baby having a complication that would make care even harder. So, that's something I'll keep in mind.

 

If anyone else has something logical to share, I wouldn't mind hearing it.

 

Question: how come neither of you ladies (melk and jassied) listed yourselves as a PA? It might be helpful for readers to know you've actually completed PA school and are practicing PAs.

[Planteater]

jassied- I was only asking because you did not relate any of your personal experiences- you just gave an example of someone who was poor during PA school, which a totally unrelated experience to the topic at hand. I personally had a very hard time with pregnancy and the early years of my children's lives, so I know that a "can do" attitude is not all it takes sometimes. Life does not just happen a certain way because we wish for it hard enough. Also, many moms discover they cannot bear the idea of someone raising their child- after they have already gotten pregnant/given birth, so just sending them off to the husband/mother/mother-in-law/daycare is not really an option. There is much more freedom to take time off to raise children once one is in the working world. I do not see all this advice as discouraging- it is just people being honest to try and help someone else in their decision-making process.

 

Oh and I just saw your post about not making it sound harder than it is. You have no idea what other people's experiences are and you will do well to think about that before you speak.

[vaston]

I'm not arguing with anyone, just saying stop discouraging women with children from going to PA school when in reality many women do go and succeed.

 

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the initial topic of this thread was actually giving BIRTH to a child during didactic, NOT 'can you make it through PA school with kids'. Obviously there are many successful examples of this. I personally know a mother with 4 kids that moved 2000 miles away from her husband, WITH her kids, in order to attend a top level program. Her husband could not move due to job obligations. She was essentially a single mother of 4. She survived just fine. BUT that's not what this thread is about.

 

The OP wanted to know how we felt about the idea of actually getting pregnant and giving birth to the child during didactic. While physically possible, IMO it is exponentially more stressful and difficult. But as stated above, this is only my opinion. While I'm sure there are examples of this too, I wonder if those that have experienced it would do it again if given the choice.......

 

Perhaps I am wrong about this??

[jassied]

Not even sure if the OP is even reading these comments so it's the thread is always open to expanding any discussion. Yea I agree, it's good to know in advance what kinds of things you might have to deal with but when you point those things it, it would also be nice if you also explained how you overcame it and still graduated from PA school. My point was that a lot of people (not you guys, but people in general on this entire forum) just tend to write out negative things to discourage people. It's good to tell people the problems that came your way, but you should also explain how you overcame them still graduated from PA school. The majority of people who get into PA school do graduate, but they still come here and write all these negative things and then the people who are currently applying start to second guess themselves.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we should be more supportive to each other on this forum and genuinely give good advice. Point of the hardships but also explain how you overcame them so that people can get encouragement from your stories.

[RHC81]

Without going into the arguments above....

 

OP: One thing you might want to consider is that pregnancy can be very different from motherhood. I speak from experience. I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and am pregnant with #3. Pregnancy can throw you curveballs that are unforeseen. I had preterm labor with both previous pregnancies and was given bed rest. It would have been impossible to go to class or clinicals, as my body had to stay in bed. I am normally a healthy individual, so I had no inclination that pregnancy would be difficult for me - until it was. And then it was, "Either stay in bed TODAY [no warning here], or we hospitalize you, or we deliver your 26-week-gestation fetus." I wouldn't want to have had the extra stress of possibly doing poorly in PA school on top of the preterm labor stress.

 

With motherhood, I can trade off responsibilities; I have a supportive husband and other family. With pregnancy, it's all me, as I'm the one carrying the fetus. :smile: If I were in your shoes, I'd wait, personally, just in case I had unforeseen complications.

 

But, if you have decided that this is what you are going to do, best of luck to you, and have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

[RHC81]

Without going into the arguments above....

 

OP: One thing you might want to consider is that pregnancy can be very different from motherhood. I speak from experience. I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and am pregnant with #3. Pregnancy can throw you curveballs that are unforeseen. I had preterm labor with both previous pregnancies and was given bed rest. It would have been impossible to go to class or clinicals, as my body had to stay in bed. I am normally a healthy individual, so I had no inclination that pregnancy would be difficult for me - until it was. And then it was, "Either stay in bed TODAY [no warning here], or we hospitalize you, or we deliver your 26-week-gestation fetus." I wouldn't want to have had the extra stress of possibly doing poorly in PA school on top of the preterm labor stress.

 

With motherhood, I can trade off responsibilities; I have a supportive husband and other family. With pregnancy, it's all me, as I'm the one carrying the fetus. :smile: If I were in your shoes, I'd wait, personally, just in case I had unforeseen complications.

 

But, if you have decided that this is what you are going to do, best of luck to you, and have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

[RHC81]

Without going into the arguments above....

 

OP: One thing you might want to consider is that pregnancy can be very different from motherhood. I speak from experience. I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and am pregnant with #3. Pregnancy can throw you curveballs that are unforeseen. I had preterm labor with both previous pregnancies and was given bed rest. It would have been impossible to go to class or clinicals, as my body had to stay in bed. I am normally a healthy individual, so I had no inclination that pregnancy would be difficult for me - until it was. And then it was, "Either stay in bed TODAY [no warning here], or we hospitalize you, or we deliver your 26-week-gestation fetus." I wouldn't want to have had the extra stress of possibly doing poorly in PA school on top of the preterm labor stress.

 

With motherhood, I can trade off responsibilities; I have a supportive husband and other family. With pregnancy, it's all me, as I'm the one carrying the fetus. :smile: If I were in your shoes, I'd wait, personally, just in case I had unforeseen complications.

 

But, if you have decided that this is what you are going to do, best of luck to you, and have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

[jassied]

Without going into the arguments above....

 

OP: One thing you might want to consider is that pregnancy can be very different from motherhood. I speak from experience. I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and am pregnant with #3. Pregnancy can throw you curveballs that are unforeseen. I had preterm labor with both previous pregnancies and was given bed rest. It would have been impossible to go to class or clinicals, as my body had to stay in bed. I am normally a healthy individual, so I had no inclination that pregnancy would be difficult for me - until it was. And then it was, "Either stay in bed TODAY [no warning here], or we hospitalize you, or we deliver your 26-week-gestation fetus." I wouldn't want to have had the extra stress of possibly doing poorly in PA school on top of the preterm labor stress.

 

With motherhood, I can trade off responsibilities; I have a supportive husband and other family. With pregnancy, it's all me, as I'm the one carrying the fetus. :smile: If I were in your shoes, I'd wait, personally, just in case I had unforeseen complications.

 

But, if you have decided that this is what you are going to do, best of luck to you, and have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

 

 

Ok I actually agree with you. Already having a baby before starting PA school and then having one during PA school are two different things. You are absolutely right. If you already have a baby before starting school, you can make plans as to who will help you take care of the baby or you may hire someone etc.... And being pregnant is different. You have to go to classes with literally your baby with you at all times. Some women are lucky and they have a easy pregnancy but sometimes young healthy women can have complications...so that's something to keep in mind. I would say that if you do decide to have a baby while you are in PA school, you should find out the school's policy about taking Maternity Leaves and remember each school has their own policy. Even if your pregnancy goes fine, there will be times you will be exhausted because well pregnancy tends to do that to you. Also it can be hard to plan your delivery during a vacation because there aren't very many vacations in PA school.

 

I'm not sure if the OP is still reading this but I'm sure many women out there about to start PA school or who are going to start PA school in the upcoming years may ask this question, esp if you're getting older and are concerned. It's either better have a baby before PA school or after, but if you simply must have one during PA school, be familiar with the school's leave of absence policies because you don't want to put yourself in a position where you have to drop out.

 

I think the person in the post above said it best out of anyone on this entire thread. Taking care of a baby is much easier because if you have other people in your life (hubby, mother, mother in law, nanny, etcc), you can ask any one of them for help. But being pregnant is all on you and no one can really help you.

 

My best wishes to current and all future PA students!

[jassied]

Without going into the arguments above....

 

OP: One thing you might want to consider is that pregnancy can be very different from motherhood. I speak from experience. I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and am pregnant with #3. Pregnancy can throw you curveballs that are unforeseen. I had preterm labor with both previous pregnancies and was given bed rest. It would have been impossible to go to class or clinicals, as my body had to stay in bed. I am normally a healthy individual, so I had no inclination that pregnancy would be difficult for me - until it was. And then it was, "Either stay in bed TODAY [no warning here], or we hospitalize you, or we deliver your 26-week-gestation fetus." I wouldn't want to have had the extra stress of possibly doing poorly in PA school on top of the preterm labor stress.

 

With motherhood, I can trade off responsibilities; I have a supportive husband and other family. With pregnancy, it's all me, as I'm the one carrying the fetus. :smile: If I were in your shoes, I'd wait, personally, just in case I had unforeseen complications.

 

But, if you have decided that this is what you are going to do, best of luck to you, and have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

 

 

Ok I actually agree with you. Already having a baby before starting PA school and then having one during PA school are two different things. You are absolutely right. If you already have a baby before starting school, you can make plans as to who will help you take care of the baby or you may hire someone etc.... And being pregnant is different. You have to go to classes with literally your baby with you at all times. Some women are lucky and they have a easy pregnancy but sometimes young healthy women can have complications...so that's something to keep in mind. I would say that if you do decide to have a baby while you are in PA school, you should find out the school's policy about taking Maternity Leaves and remember each school has their own policy. Even if your pregnancy goes fine, there will be times you will be exhausted because well pregnancy tends to do that to you. Also it can be hard to plan your delivery during a vacation because there aren't very many vacations in PA school.

 

I'm not sure if the OP is still reading this but I'm sure many women out there about to start PA school or who are going to start PA school in the upcoming years may ask this question, esp if you're getting older and are concerned. It's either better have a baby before PA school or after, but if you simply must have one during PA school, be familiar with the school's leave of absence policies because you don't want to put yourself in a position where you have to drop out.

 

I think the person in the post above said it best out of anyone on this entire thread. Taking care of a baby is much easier because if you have other people in your life (hubby, mother, mother in law, nanny, etcc), you can ask any one of them for help. But being pregnant is all on you and no one can really help you.

 

My best wishes to current and all future PA students!

[jassied]

Without going into the arguments above....

 

OP: One thing you might want to consider is that pregnancy can be very different from motherhood. I speak from experience. I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and am pregnant with #3. Pregnancy can throw you curveballs that are unforeseen. I had preterm labor with both previous pregnancies and was given bed rest. It would have been impossible to go to class or clinicals, as my body had to stay in bed. I am normally a healthy individual, so I had no inclination that pregnancy would be difficult for me - until it was. And then it was, "Either stay in bed TODAY [no warning here], or we hospitalize you, or we deliver your 26-week-gestation fetus." I wouldn't want to have had the extra stress of possibly doing poorly in PA school on top of the preterm labor stress.

 

With motherhood, I can trade off responsibilities; I have a supportive husband and other family. With pregnancy, it's all me, as I'm the one carrying the fetus. :smile: If I were in your shoes, I'd wait, personally, just in case I had unforeseen complications.

 

But, if you have decided that this is what you are going to do, best of luck to you, and have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

 

 

Ok I actually agree with you. Already having a baby before starting PA school and then having one during PA school are two different things. You are absolutely right. If you already have a baby before starting school, you can make plans as to who will help you take care of the baby or you may hire someone etc.... And being pregnant is different. You have to go to classes with literally your baby with you at all times. Some women are lucky and they have a easy pregnancy but sometimes young healthy women can have complications...so that's something to keep in mind. I would say that if you do decide to have a baby while you are in PA school, you should find out the school's policy about taking Maternity Leaves and remember each school has their own policy. Even if your pregnancy goes fine, there will be times you will be exhausted because well pregnancy tends to do that to you. Also it can be hard to plan your delivery during a vacation because there aren't very many vacations in PA school.

 

I'm not sure if the OP is still reading this but I'm sure many women out there about to start PA school or who are going to start PA school in the upcoming years may ask this question, esp if you're getting older and are concerned. It's either better have a baby before PA school or after, but if you simply must have one during PA school, be familiar with the school's leave of absence policies because you don't want to put yourself in a position where you have to drop out.

 

I think the person in the post above said it best out of anyone on this entire thread. Taking care of a baby is much easier because if you have other people in your life (hubby, mother, mother in law, nanny, etcc), you can ask any one of them for help. But being pregnant is all on you and no one can really help you.

 

My best wishes to current and all future PA students!