Pregnant in Law School?

[verytired]

Does anyone know of any women who have managed law school while pregnant or as a new mom? I was accepted to law school before I got this surprise news and was planning to attend a t25 school but am now concerned that I should consider going part time or put it off a year. My due date is August 26. I will likely be supporting my child on my own. Any thoughts?

[Hannibal]

I don't plan on pregnancy during law school; if I am, you'll see my picture on the cover of the National Enquirer.  But I am certain that my wife and I will have at least one more child during the next three years.  My wife only works part time when I am home to watch the kids, so I won't have to deal with the same type of stress you will.  I am actually more worried about the health insurance.  I've been pretty spoiled by a job with great benefits for the last five years, and I'm a little nervous about switching to something that is certainly less comprehensive and more expensive.

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

this is the blog of one of my classmates from my master's program last year.  she was pregnant last year as a grad student and is now raising two babies as a Jd/PhD at stanford:

http://gradmommy.wordpress.com/

[IamAnXman]

being pregnant in law school can only detract from your legal education and is therefore inadvisable. if you stop your route to becoming a lawyer and find these other priorities more important, than you did not prioritize law school as the most significant aspect of your legal career.

[botbot]

being pregnant in law school can only detract from your legal education and is therefore inadvisable. if you stop your route to becoming a lawyer and find these other priorities more important, than you did not prioritize law school as the most significant aspect of your legal career.

This post actually made lol.

You should defer though, mainly because the due date is going to be so near exams.

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

being pregnant in law school can only detract from your legal education and is therefore inadvisable. if you stop your route to becoming a lawyer and find these other priorities more important, than you did not prioritize law school as the most significant aspect of your legal career.

This post actually made lol.

You should defer though, mainly because the due date is going to be so near exams.

No matter when you have exams, trying to go through 1L with a newborn baby, especially by yourself, seems like a whole lot of unnecessary stress to me.  I agree with the above poster about deferring for a year.  I can't imagine that you wouldn't get a deferral...

At least that way you'd get to really savor your baby's first year, and things would be slightly more under control by the time you start 1L.

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

From what I understand, Ruth Bader Ginsburg did law school while being pregnant and a new mom.

Other interesting facts about Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

* Ruth Bader Ginsburg doesn't read casebooks. She stares them down until she gets the information she wants.
* If you have five dollars and Ruth Bader Ginsburg has five dollars, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has more money than you.
* There is no 'ctrl' button on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's computer. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is always in control.
* Ruth Bader Ginsburg is suing Myspace for taking the name of what she calls everything around you.
* Ruth Bader Ginsburg destroyed the periodic table, because she only recognizes the element of surprise.
* Ruth Bader Ginsburg can kill two stones with one bird.

[Majmun]

I know a girl who is in her fourth year of dental school who had two kids while in school and I know a faculty member who had two kids in grad school (in a hard science) and then gave birth to twins just two weeks before she defended her thesis.  Both of them have husbands with fairly flexible schedules and credit that with be the reason that it worked out for them.

[gowi]

H and I plan to have one during the summer between 2L and 3L. (We'll see how that works out  ) Frankly, I'd rather have one during law school than at the start of my career. I've talked to a few women who did this and it seems doable. Hard, but not that bad.

[just dot]

I'm a mom of 2 so I would like to think I know a few things about this.  There is no way to predict what kind of pregnancy or baby you will have.  The first 6 months or so after you have the baby will be a time of little sleep and a lot of stress regardless of your baby's temperament. I would highly recommend you put this off for a year and try it with a 1 year old instead, possibly even PT.  My first child had severe colic, didn't sleep more than 1.5 hours at a time, and I went back to school when she was 4 months old.  My grades suffered horribly and that wasn't even law school.  It was the hardest time of my life.  From what I understand, first year grades at law school are the most important.  Why put yourself at an even greater disadvantage?  Babies are the hardest the first year, after that time you should find it much easier.

Feel free to PM me if you want.  Best of luck whatever you decide.  Don't let the few negative comments in this thread make you feel bad.  You can be a great mom and a great law student, too.  You just want to make sure you have the timing just right.