Family Life in Nursing School. How to do it all?

I’ve touched on balancing family life with school life in some of my previous blog posts, but now that my husband and I are expecting our first child this topic has become more and more real to me. Currently, I am working nights full-time at the hospital and am anxiously awaiting my acceptance into graduate school. My life right now is pretty simple and I wonder how everything will change when I am working full-time, going to school full-time and being a mother full-time.

My thoughts always drift to a classmate of mine in nursing school. She was a single mother of three and somehow managed to do it all while succeeding in nursing school. She was a role model to me then and even more to me now as I prepare to enter the realm of working mother and student.

Asking advice from my dear friends, coworkers and family members, who have also held many roles, I have come up with a small list to prepare myself and other mothers and fathers out there like me. Whether you are expecting, adopting, already have kids, or planning a family, I think this will apply to you!

1. Ask for Help - Many of us are stubborn and overachievers in the nursing world. This is a time to be humble and ask for help from family, friends, spouse, etc. You will need it.

2. Bless this Mess – The dishes can sit in the sink while you spend quality time with your family or sit down for a few minutes to study. Allow your spouse or other household members to pick up the slack during this time. Learn to be okay with the fact that the house is not going to always be as clean as you would do it.

3. Be a Parent First – Your most important job is being a parent. This means trying to arrange your work schedule around seeing your kids, if possible. Or cutting down to part-time. This even means being okay with not getting straight A’s on every test. Sometimes reading a story to your child before bed trumps cramming for an exam you may have in the morning.

4. Sleep When You Can – Rule #1 for all new parents is to sleep when your baby sleeps. If your kids are napping try lying down at the same time to refresh and recharge. Also, go to bed at a reasonable hour. Staying up all night studying has shown to not necessarily have better test results.

5. Find Time for Yourself – Along with getting plenty of sleep it is very important to have some “me” time. Whether this means locking the bathroom door, soaking in the tub, taking a long walk, etc., is up to you. You may even consider asking a friend or family member to watch your kids while go to yoga, go swimming, go shopping, or whatever else recharges you.

What would you add to this list? I would love to hear from mothers and fathers in nursing school how manage to do it all! How do you do it?