mom's law blog

I cannot count the number of times that when people found out I got pregnant on purpose during law school, the look on their face was one of doubt as to my choice. A gabillion! I guess I see their concern. Law school is a stressful time. Pregnancy is a stressful time. Combine both of those and you have a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Here is the thought process we went through to decide it was the right time for us to have a baby:

Timing

I kept saying we will have a baby when the time is “right.” What does that even mean? I have no clue what I meant. I think it was my way of stalling the process. Mr. Mister finally noticed that we will always find a reason as to why it was the wrong time. So I navigated my way through my first year and I established a good study routine. When we decided a baby would fit into our lives between semesters of my 2L year, I checked the week all of my finals would fall on, tracked back to an ovulation calculator (TMI? Sorry!), and decided we would have a two-month window with which we could conceive and have a safe buffer to deliver during my break between semesters. Once we had the date nailed down and finalized, it all became VERY real.

Finances

Law school is not cheap! Also, babies are not cheap! Combine those with a house payment, a car payment, utilities, etc. and you have a big ol’ debt sheet racking up. Mr. Mister and I sat down and seriously looked at our finances. We cut out the luxuries (who has time to watch TV anyway?), sold an extra vehicle we had, finished up all of the big “to-do” projects around the house, and made sure we had some savings stashed away in the event of an emergency. Knowing that we were being fiscally responsible helped eliminate a lot of the stress of simultaneous school and pregnancy.

Research

Ah, this is where my love for blogs began. I spent countless late night hours reading blogs. I searched things like: pregnant during law school; mothers in law school; effects of stress on a fetus J. I read how little amount of sleep I could get before it would affect a fetus. I read about other mother’s journey through law school while being pregnant or raising a child. I also talked to my doctor about risks and precautions I needed to take and talked to other mom friends to see just what this whole mothering thing was all about.

Support

I am not one to brag, but Mr. Mister is pretty fantastic! His support warrants its own blog post soon. I cannot express how motivational he was during my pregnancy. He was also a worrier; I always said he worried enough for all three of us. He’d make sure our fridge was stocked with yummy and healthy snacks. He would make sure I was taking vitamins, getting enough sleep (well enough relative to being a law school student and full time employee), and always made sure to call and check on me. The best thing he did was tell me when I’d had enough for the day and make sure I had actual “me” time. That may have resulted in one too many naps.

For those of you women wondering if it is a good idea to have a baby while in law school, I say it’s right if YOU feel its right. You know what you are capable of. You know how you handle stress, pressure, and criticism. You know how you are at prioritizing and time management. Take a while to sit down an analyze the situation you will be entering into and decided whether having a baby while in law school is right for you.