Why I'm Not Taking Time Off School For My Newborn

As you probably already know, I will be having my sweet baby girl in November.

What you might not know is that, during that time, I will be enrolled in 7 classes (16 credit hours) at BYU, including a practicum done in local middle/high schools.

The semester ends December 20th, almost a full month after my baby girl's due date.

Why would I do this?

Why not take the semester off?

Everyone has their own opinions and I'm not saying my choice to do this (and full time student teaching the semester immediately after my baby is born) is the only right one, but I believe it is the right one for me and for our family and here's why.

1) I'm Getting a Degree

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This has never been a question for me. There is simply too much value in having a degree and too many avenues that are closed to you if you do not have one. In the future, yes, I'd love to be a stay-at-home mom. But for me, that always was going to have to come after I earned my Bachelor's. Kyle and I have always both been very much in agreement about this, and he's even basically putting his own education and career on hold so that I can finish school. So no budging on this one: I'm getting a degree.

2) It's Not Going to Get Any Easier

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No, it isn't going to be easy to wonder during a midterm if I'm going to go into labor, or to try and stay ahead on my schoolwork so I don't fall hopelessly behind when I inevitably do miss class for baby's birth, or to walk across campus and sit through classes just days after she is born & while I'm still recovering. But it wouldn't be easy to go to school with an older baby either. It's not going to get any easier to get my degree finished, and since I am adamant that I will get a degree, I'm not pausing for a moment in that pursuit. And with Kyle already waiting on me to continue his own education in grad school, I don't feel that it's fair to make him wait any longer just because it will be hard for my last couple of semesters.

3) I Want Her To Know How Important This Is

Someday, when I'm telling my daughter the story of her birth and how I was working on a paper during labor or waddling into class with her strapped to my chest, I hope she'll hear the real message I'm trying to tell her: education is important and worth some sacrifice. Even more important than that, I want her to understand how amazing it is to learn and to seek knowledge, of any kind. I want to be an example to her of a life-long learner.

So am I crazy for going to school full time while having a baby?
Maybe.
But I'll just keep being crazy for now, because I think I am doing what's best for me and my little growing family.

Stay Beautiful
xoxo, Madi