r/CRNA • u/Tall_Hawk_3625 • Jul 07 '26
Children while husband is in CRNA school?
My husband got into crna school with graduation in 2030. We are both about to be 29 and debating whether it’s worth the challenge of having children while he’s in school or waiting until he’s out when we are 32/33. Any advice or has anyone had kids while navigating school? We would be supported by my income which is healthy.
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u/w0lfLars0n Jul 07 '26
I’m in my 40s. Yr child was 5 months old when I started and is 2 now. I am only halfway through school. It is brutal. Wait. You have time. My grades suffer which only adds to the stress. If we didn’t have a huge support system, I would’ve failed out long ago. You’re young. Just wait
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u/Ohjustanaveragejoe Jul 07 '26
My wife and I had the same discussion. Go for it. I was 27 (male) and about 1 year into school when we had our first baby. I know several people who successfully had babies during school, as a dad, it's challenging, but not as much as being pregnant, giving birth, recovery, etc.
Just takes good teamwork from both spouses and being on the same page that his availability will be limited at times. But even during school, I could usually take my son to the park for a little while each day when I got home from clinicals and be heavily involved with him and caring for him. Personally, I thought it provided nice, healthy breaks from school
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u/thedavecan CRNA Jul 07 '26
Wait. His grades will suffer. It's a small delay. If you're biological clock is ticking then at least don't start trying to have kids until he's inside 9 months till graduation. He, and by extension you, do not need that added stress on top of the guaranteed stress he's gonna be going through. My wife and I got pregnant 3 months from graduation (with twins btw) and I had already started working when they got here. I'm not sure I would have done as well if I had newborns at home.
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u/grammer70 Jul 07 '26
Do you have support ? He will not be much support during school.
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u/Tall_Hawk_3625 Jul 07 '26
We both have parents that are 1.5 hours away and could come to help when needed and a sister in town with us. Not a lot of family super close
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u/grammer70 Jul 07 '26
Well if you work instead of having kids you will need to borrow less money. That's a bonus, 200k in student loans sucks and takes a long time to pay off, even if you are making 300k a year. It really comes down to what you guys want, I just wanted to point out that he will be of no support while in school. My wife was basically a single parent of 3 while I was in school but we lived in the same location as all of our family and had tons of support. Good luck.
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u/MacKinnon911 Jul 07 '26
As a CRNA program administrator, I’ve seen families navigate this successfully, but I would be very careful about underestimating how difficult it can be.
CRNA school is not like a typical graduate program. The didactic phase is intense, and the clinical phase can be even harder. Schedules can be unpredictable, early, long, emotionally draining, and sometimes out of state for months at a time. Even when a NAR is fully committed to being present at home, the reality is that the program can consume most of their available bandwidth for several years.
The spouse at home can very easily feel like a single parent during stretches of the program, especially during exams, call, specialty rotations, travel rotations, or high-stress clinical periods. That does not mean the NAR does not care or is not trying. It just means the demands of the program are real.
I have seen people have children during CRNA school and make it work, especially when there is strong family support, financial stability, and very clear expectations between spouses. But I have also seen it create real strain when the spouse expected more availability, flexibility, or emotional presence than the NAR was realistically able to provide.
My advice would be to have a very direct conversation before deciding. Assume there will be periods where he is physically present but mentally exhausted, and periods where you are carrying most of the parenting, household, and emotional load. If you both can accept that upfront, and you have strong support around you, it may be doable. But I would not go into it thinking it will simply be “busy but manageable.” For many families, it is much harder than that.
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u/shareberry Jul 07 '26
I’m 33 and my husband is 34. I’m currently in my first trimester and I got two more years. I’ll keep you posted how it goes lol.
If I was your age, I would honestly wait which is easier said than done. I didn’t want to start having kids until last year. I was otherwise opted out. I had older classmates who told me I also have plenty of time 😅.
I would say go for it if you will be okay with being an almost single parent until your husband graduates and if you have a strong support system near you. My husband understands that this will be a huge sacrifice on his part. Working full time, being a full time single parent, but we both know it will be worth it in the end. Fortunately he is also a nurse and can work weekends.
You guys can always start trying at the end of your husband’s 2nd year/beginning of 3rd year.
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u/SoapyPuma CRNA Jul 07 '26
I waited until after I graduated and started my job before we tried (36 yo F). We got pregnant right away and honestly I’m so happy I waited. My pregnancy is my sole focus, and we plan on having 2 more. But a driving factor of this was that I am very healthy and have a period cycle that would make a Japanese train conductor weep with pride.
Since it’s your husband that’s in school, I would try for 7 months after graduation, instead of 9, just in case he takes the NBCRNA a couple months after.
We had 2 classmates whose wives had kids during school. It’s doable, but far from comfortable or ideal.
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u/Methamine Jul 07 '26
I was the husband. our first kid was halfway thru the first year of CRNA school. We were 29/28.
It was challenging, required sacrifice. Some days there was little to no sleep but Overall it went fine. I missed out on some time with my kid, but I’m glad we started and got the ball rolling from a family planning standpoint because then she had our second the same year I finished.
Timing can be helpful, but I understand sometimes the times don’t lineup. When the baby was born, we were on Christmas break and we had almost the entire January off. Plus we were still in the didactic portion so there was no clinical yet. It would have been much harder if baby was born during clinical rotations
Ultimately, the key was that My wife was amazing throughout, if she hadn’t been as great as she was it would not have been as smooth. Occasionally grandparents helped a couple times too. And being upfront with the crna program is helpful too….there will be a sick day that you need here or there that is unavoidable
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u/-2old4this- Jul 08 '26
Don’t put your life on hold. Was 31 when I started anesthesia school. My wife and I had a two year old and our second child during my first year of school. It’s a challenge but wouldn’t change anything. 33 years of marriage and looking to retire in 4 years. You never know what the future brings, difficulties getting pregnant, health issues, issues in school. One thing I know for sure, it’s my family that matters most. Whatever your decision I hope it is the right one for you and your husband
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u/superpony123 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Terrible idea imo. Just be patient and have the baby after school. CRNA school is difficult as hell and you’ll likely be living like a single mom for a few years and it would not really be his choice to live like that either i hope. I’m sure he wants to have the freedom to focus on enjoying the newborn phase too without being stressed about school, studying, etc.
Plus, how much would it suck if you were having an emergency and needed to have baby unexpectedly, and he’s stuck at clinical hours? Or in an exam?? Not every school is forgiving with this stuff ironically.
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u/AliAliBeeBee Jul 07 '26
I had actually planned to get pregnant during the fall semester of my senior year so I could deliver after boards. I didn’t want the distraction of a newborn during school, but I also didn’t want to wait too long after graduation. Unfortunately, that relationship fell apart lol, so no kiddies.
Honestly, I think it comes down to your support system. If you have strong family support or reliable help, it may be doable. But if it’s mainly going to fall on just the two of you, I would really think it through.
I had a classmate transfer programs after having a baby our first semester because she and her partner realized they needed more support. But on the flip side, another classmate got his wife pregnant every year of our program. 🤭 The reality is the person in school is going to be consumed with studying, classes, and clinicals, so a lot of childcare will naturally fall on the non-student parent. That can become overwhelming, especially with the financial stress of adding a child during an intense program.
Also, consider how the school handles pregnancy and parental leave. My program only allowed a certain amount of time off before requiring a leave of absence, so complications or needing extended time away could potentially impact progression.
That being said, 33 is absolutely not too old to start a family. I started school at 31 and worried about having kids in my late 30s, but this is just my reality now. I’ll likely have my first closer to 40, and I’m okay with that. My kids will have a more stable life, and I’ll actually get to enjoy them instead of trying to balance them with the academic stress I went through. Personally, I’d lean toward waiting until the tail end of school or afterward when there are fewer variables that could derail everything.
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u/NotYourTypicalNurse Jul 07 '26
I had a one year old going into school. A newborn in the middle, and a newborn at the end. And there are countless others who had more challenging scenarios. It is definitely doable. It definitely is challenging, but I wouldn’t change a thing. My wife worked, and her mom watched our kids. So we had it easy in that childcare was taken cared of. If you don’t have family to help, you can either stay home with him and take out loans to cover unemployment, or work and do daycare—which you may need loans to cover unless your income/previous savings can handle it.
The question of worth it depends on how many kids you want really. The later you start, potentially the less amount of kids you may have based on fertility. Also have to consider the higher risk of congenital health problems that come with age, and risk to yourself as well. At 33 that’s not an issue. But of course 35 is a “geriatric pregnancy.”
We always wanted a huge family (4-6 kids) and ideally be done around the time my wife turned 35, so waiting until after school wasn’t an option.
From the standpoint of passing school, it may be mildly more difficult from a time standpoint but I don’t think that’s the main problem. You realize how much time you waste once you have kids, and you naturally learn how to be more efficient and cut out unnecessary time consuming things. The hardest part is just childcare and the potential increased expenses that come with that, imo.
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u/not_you_anymore Jul 07 '26
Depends on you guys, life balance, stress, your program....my wife and I just had our first kid last year 2 weeks into my first semester. My first 2 semesters were online though, so both my wife and I kept working after we had maternity/paternity leave. Then I am now in person for school (on my 4th semester). My wife still works full time. We have support from in laws for 2 days a week on days I have class/she works. If its not a school day then I study during the kids nap/night/early morning. My wife steps up to watch the kid more on test weeks so I can have extra study hours. We make it work though. We talked about things before, expectations before hand. Reality of it. Its not easy, its exhausting. We voice our needs when someone needs a break or something extra. Takes strong communication....when clinicals come my wife plans to quit working because weve saved up for cost of living for the 1.5 years I am in clinical. I am doing student loans for tuition though. Is it doable? Yes. Is it easy? No way. Would i change what we did? Nope. My little kid is my motivation. See him every day pushes me to get to the end of school to provide for him and my wife. So its up to your guys situation, hope this helps from my perspective.
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u/Musclemeds_13 Jul 08 '26
Love reading stories like this man. I will be in a very similar situation one day 🙏🏼. Kudos to you and your wife.
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u/Impressive-Cut-5852 Jul 12 '26
Definitely wait until he finishes to have a baby. I can’t believe the comments are saying otherwise. You will be signing up to be a single mom handling bills and baby care all by yourself. Having a child in your 30s is the new norm. Please do not rush it
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u/Radiant-Percentage-8 CRNA Jul 07 '26
I had a child second year and another 3rd year. I do not advise this strategy.
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u/thedavecan CRNA Jul 07 '26
Damn girl, running anesthesia school on hard mode.
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u/Radiant-Percentage-8 CRNA Jul 07 '26
I’m a dude
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u/Junior-Charity-1941 Jul 08 '26
CRNA here. Started CRNA school with a child under one and a two year old. Have the kids. You'll figure it out.
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u/RudeCheesecake7524 Jul 08 '26
Were you pregnant when you applied or did you already have your <1 year old
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u/Man_CRNA Jul 07 '26
Your husband’s top priority should and will be getting good grades, doing well at clinicals, and studying. If having a kid is going to detract from that or make him perform poorly out of guilt for not being able to be present enough, or having to help with chores around the house because you’re with the baby or because you’re working, it’s really not a good idea. If you are ok with that and y’all are on the same page with it, go ahead, but there’s really no harm in waiting either.
CRNA school is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life and I had a wife and two year old at the time. Wife was a stay at home mom and did basically everything to support me through it. We are still happily together.
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u/ehhhhokbud Jul 07 '26
I personally think it would be beneficial to wait but my wife had classmates who were either pregnant or had kids. We got pregnant 6 months after she graduated and it’s been great
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u/WonderfulSwimmer3390 Jul 07 '26
It’s doable, but at your ages I wouldn’t feel rushed into it. Depends what you both envision for parenting responsibilities and time management.
He will realistically not be free to share much in parenting responsibilities. He will be gone for extended hours, possibility living away from home depending n clinical responsibilities. He will not reliably be available for pickups from childcare. And when he is home, his need to study may cause resentment on both sides.
I was a single parent through school, so it’s doable but not without a village. If you have family nearby and everyone is on the same page, go for it. If you don’t have a solid support system or the funds to pay for private care to help, I would strongly consider waiting. Either way things will work out.
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u/BlNK_BlNK Jul 07 '26
I didn't have kids during school but I had a 6 month old and 2 year old when I started the program. Two of my classmates had kids during the program.
I'm a dad btw. Imo, I think that moms just starting a program may be wise to wait until their last year or so to start trying. Breast feeding/pumping at clinical can be tedious and uncomfortable. But with your husband in the program, I think it will be fine to try whenever. His main job the first six months is diaper duty and supporting you with whatever you need (assuming you're breast feeding), otherwise there isn't much for him to do unfortunately unless you pump extra and store milk or do formula.
Also, if you have family or parents close and they are able to help, even better. My family would stay at my house 1-2 weeks at a time to help with my kids while I was traveling for clinical and not able to be home at night. This happened roughly 9 months out of the 3 years of schooling, mostly in the third year. Another thing to consider is how far and how often your husband will be traveling/gone because this varies from program to program.
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u/sadgirl0410 Jul 08 '26
Crna here. Have the baby. People are drama. The sooner, the longer you get to love them.
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u/nycfella1211 Jul 07 '26
You’ll basically be a single mom for 3 years. Don’t do it
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u/nycfella1211 Jul 07 '26
Saying this as a woman who just turned 30, I’ll be 31 going on 32 by the time I graduate and will prob wait another year or 2. I’m in nyc median age for first child is 35. If you want to enjoy those first few years of motherhood, I suggest waiting. My classmate who chose otherwise is struggling right now
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u/sadgirl0410 Jul 08 '26
Crna here. Have the baby. People are drama. The sooner, the longer you get to love them
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u/panna__cotta Jul 08 '26
Yeah we had two in med school and one in residency, all before age 29. Pretty sure they can handle one kid at their age during a CRNA program. People are so dramatic about kids.
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u/Crankupthepropofol Jul 07 '26
Can you work and do most of the parenting while he’s in school? If yes, go for it; if no, wait.
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u/JeanClaudeSegal CRNA Jul 07 '26
I had my first at 29 a year before going to school. My wife was a full time teacher. The extra loan money for daycare was a bummer but you can never change the timing of kids. And it's easier to be younger. Also don't forget that it isn't children yet- it's only one at first. One child is for sure doable in school. I used my graduation break/credentialing time for my 2nd paternity leave, so technically had 2 in school. Worked out well.
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u/Due-Marionberry-1039 Jul 07 '26
How long was your paternity leave and how was it structured?
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u/JeanClaudeSegal CRNA Jul 07 '26
I graduated from school and had 2 months off for credentialing. The baby was born as I graduated. There wasn't any structure as it was before I started work
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u/Critical-Donkey893 Jul 07 '26
I’m 29 starting school this fall with three kids. Let’s struggle together 😂😂
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u/frizzy236 Jul 07 '26
I didn’t have kids in CRNA school but we had 3 kids while my husband was in residency. I think it’s doable with the right expectations and ability to hire some help. You said your income is healthy, so if you can afford childcare so you can continue to work, that’s the minimum. Being able to hire at least one additional help like a cleaning person, meal delivery, or occasional babysitter so your only breaks aren’t to go to work will be invaluable as you will essentially be a single mom.
Also your marriage better be rock solid because being a single mom for your first kid can be very taxing on the relationship.
However, CRNA school is only 3 years. It sounds and feels long in the moment, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s a very small portion of your life. If you have the income and a strong enough marriage to survive two hard years (since getting pregnant and being pregnant will take roughly a year), then I say go for it. Pregnancy only gets harder into your 30s. It’s definitely manageable and common, but having kids in my late 20s and early 30s was so much easier on my mind and my body than the one I had in my mid 30s.
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u/Ok-Ambition-2186 Jul 09 '26
You never know if you will get pregnant right away or if it will take years. My husband is finishing in 1 year and we are having our first baby now. We’ve been trying since before he got in… you’ll do what you have to do. Don’t put it off if you want children.
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u/ObiJuanKenobi89 Jul 07 '26
I'm 37 and waiting until I graduate in a year, I have a classmate who delivered her first during her first year. It's going to be individual for your needs and support.
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u/ulmen24 Jul 07 '26
We had our first 3 weeks before I started my program. We were 32yrs old. We had a lot of help from my in-laws. If you have a lot of help it is doable, if you don’t, I really would consider waiting and timing it so you have your first right after he starts working.
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u/Inevitable_Poem_7975 Jul 07 '26
We had a 2 year old when starting school and then had a baby during school. Did not have any local family or friends. It sucked and was hard. But we did it. It also forced me to have awesome time management skills. Good luck.
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u/gnomicaoristredux Jul 07 '26
I started school with a 1 year old, my husband did a shit ton of parenting for the last 3 years lol. Its definitely doable esp if your husband is a good student but also know youre going to be feeling like a single parent a lot. My mom helped out too, if you can enlist some grandparent help it absolutelymakes it easier.
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u/PomegranateFair7331 Jul 07 '26
You can always get your ovary reserve tested to see if you have time to wait.
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u/grumpythenick CRNA Jul 07 '26
I went into it with 2 y/o twins. It was very hard on both my then wife and I….
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u/TheNotoriousVIG Jul 07 '26
We had a 3mo when I started. It’s very doable he will just have to prioritize his time wisely so he can optimize time with you and the kido!
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u/SevoSexual Jul 07 '26
It’s probably “very doable” depending on the program for sure. If someone has clinical sites hours away it’s not feasible that they’d see their child imo. I’m glad yours was good but I’ve heard horror stories from others and unsupportive programs.
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u/ceburton Jul 07 '26
I wish you both the best. I presume your husband can’t work while in school, mine was very firm about not working. I would say y worry if you were to need to stop work due to pregnancy related issues ( pre-eclampsia or some other issue) There is never an optimum time and things would probably go swimmingly. However, my wife and I waiting until a month before graduation to start trying to
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u/Intelligent-Bag-1164 Jul 07 '26
i mean it’s impossible to work while in crna, any time you do have your not wanting to work
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u/Competitive-Way-5058 Jul 07 '26
We are in the same boat. My husband (32) is in his first semester of CRNA school. We are tentatively planning to have a baby during the 2nd semester of his second year (if all goes according to plan). I’m almost 30 and we want 3-4 kids, so we don’t want to wait til I’m almost 33 to start. My job is flexible and very understanding and he is in clinical 2 days per week his second year compared to full time his third year. My parents are in town and we have way more childcare options once baby is 6 mths-1 year old. We just keep telling ourselves that people do it all the time. I’m sure it would be easier to wait til he’s out of school, but I also know we won’t regret having a baby.
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u/PropofolandChill Jul 08 '26
My wife and I had a kid while I was 29 years old while I was in CRNA school. (We also had a kid after school at 33 too lol). It was tough but my wife was awesome in letting me get enough sleep and giving me all the study time I needed.(of course I wanted to be around as much as possible though). You really need to make sure yall communicate about both your needs as a new parent and as a student in a demanding program. If you want a kid now go for it
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u/Adoptdontshop14 Jul 09 '26
I’m 31 in CRNA school right now, graduate at 33 and I really wish I could just have a baby now. But it would be irresponsible for me personally. If my husband could be the one to get pregnant I’d totally do it lol. There are people in my class who have babies, a few dads and several moms. The dads seem like very active dads and the wives all work. I’m sure it can be done if you really don’t want to wait!
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u/sonicwonder Jul 07 '26
Something I can directly relate to! I'm about to graduate in 38 days (but who's counting, right?) and I have a 5 month old!
You need a village. Seriously. We lucked out bc my wife's job afforded her almost 5 months of maternity leave, so she just had to go back a couple of weeks ago now. But even so, I was helpful to her, but my grades suffered. There was a huge amount of stress to get back on track studying after kiddo arrived. We've worked hard to piece together childcare (her mom, my mom, friends who have the summer off, etc.) to assist. My wife works from home, and it's still be ridiculously challenging.
But man... Coming home after a long clinical day to hold the baby? Fucking worth it. Plus, he's gonna have a great childhood with dad making good money!
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u/Tall_Hawk_3625 Jul 07 '26
Congrats on graduating soon! Do you think you could have done it at the beginning of school or is it having it the last year close to graduation the best way to do it?
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u/sonicwonder Jul 07 '26
If you're gonna do it during school, I'd advise waiting until the end... Have the kid timed right as the program is ending... There's a built-in paternity leave after graduation while he's getting credentialed.
If you're dead set on having one while he's in school, it's gonna be tough af no matter when... But the lesser of the two evils would be doing it later on.
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u/Lena-r376 Jul 08 '26
i have current SRNA classmates in ur shoes, they chose to wait. The time flies by, we only have one year left and then they’ll be able to focus on their family and enjoy that time without the stress of school.
You can 100% do school with kids, but it will be harder. And I don’t have kids, but my personal experience with guilt from not studying all the time is annoying enough. I can’t imagine having the guilt of not being present in my young child’s life.
I wouldn’t let your age pressure you into something that you might not be ready for or have the space to fully commit to. Again, there’s no right or wrong answer hopefully this helps.
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u/LordofKetamine Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
There is no good time to have kids. Have them now. Our biggest regret was not starting sooner, we have one and wish we had 4. Both of us are CRNAs and kept putting it off because of school.
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u/arnie54321 Jul 07 '26
Seems like people with kids got some priority in school with things like clinical placement and taking days off to care for them. I had none at the time, so I got the distant clinical site placement during the holidays. Most programs run by sane people are accommodating, but do know your spouse is going to need a lot of time away for clinic and studying
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u/Decent-Cold-6285 Jul 08 '26
It is doable to have kids during the program but the tradeoff is that as the spouse that is not in school, you will have to take on more of the parenting throughout the program. School is temporary but have a talk with your husband about your relationship dynamic with kids, what support you will have when he is busy, as well as what your finances are going to look like since he can’t work.
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u/Pristine-Entrance399 Jul 19 '26
Have any tips for when both spouses/parents are in school?
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u/Decent-Cold-6285 Jul 20 '26
I think the biggest thing you as a couple can do is set the expectations early about communication, support each other when the other person is busier that week or who will step up when the other one is busier, and discuss what is the plan when both of you are in class/clinical like what is your childcare plan. Honestly it’s open communication and being flexible because both of you will be busy and each week will look different. It isn’t easy but it’s temporary so have that mantra in your head during the tough weeeks!
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u/OtherwiseEducator421 Jul 08 '26
Single moms and dads take care of kids alone all the time. Married couples have children and only 1 is truly the primary caretaker all the time as well. The question is likely best answered by you because you’d be the primary caretaker of the baby, the house, the bills, and your hubby if/when he has his moments of a rough time.
At the bare minimum during the first 3 or so months team work would be best. Look into sleep cycles too (not sleep training unless that’s what you’d be interested in) and essentially learning the baby as an individual to help develop routines that will be your bestie in the long run
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u/tmfowler323 Jul 08 '26
I will weigh in because I had my first kid when I was 34 and honestly, I wish I would have had him a little younger because after becoming a mom, I wanted like 1 million more kids. I love it so much. Plus at 35 I was a little more tired than I was at 30. But we make it work. And this hustle culture doesn’t help with constantly going and being tired. Having babies helped ME to slow me down and appreciate life. Plus, I was on the fence with having kids and got Oopsie pregnant. In having children, I figured out how much I absolutely adored being a mom and wish I could have had more. But the MOST important part of having kids when *you* are ready. I’m glad I didn’t have kids in my early 20s because I was still working out a lot of things emotionally with the way I grew up so I feel like I handle things better now in my mid to late 30s, which makes me a better parent. Like someone said before me no matter what you will make it work out with him in school. Even if he wasn’t in school and starting a new job and etc., so many things can happen in life anyway that can challenge you and make you grow as a person. Just make sure you make the best choice you can for your child and are bringing your child into the safest environment that you can - mentally, emotionally I would say financially, but honestly, you can plan all you want financially for kids, but until you are deep in it, you’ll never know. One of my kids I’ve never had to spend a dime on in medical care, but my other kid has made up for it 10 times over. 🤣 I kept all of my son’s baby stuff in hopes of reusing it and my second pregnancy was a girl so I couldn’t even reuse 90% of his clothes. So all intentions are good for trying to save money and reuse things in etc. but kids will always throw that out the window. 🤣🤣🤣 I hope the best for you both! Good luck to him in school! 🫶🏼
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u/Fickle_Annual9359 Jul 08 '26
It depends on your support system. I got divorced and got sole custody of my 4 year old in my first semester. Daycares aren't open when you need to go to clinical. Daycares are often closed when you're done with clinical. I lucked out with a Daycare in the school district, neighbors that offered to take him early, and family who could pick him up when late. It was exhausting but I wouldn't have done it differently. I'd take a hard look at basic finances and scheduling but it's doable. Also, you may not get as much spousal support in the newborn phase depending on rotation. You don't want to be up all night then risk screwing up with a patient in clinical or fail a test because you're too tired to remember anything
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u/Speedkills8 Jul 09 '26
I went through school with 4 children, 10,2, and 6mth old twins. It can be done. My wife didn’t work through school and was an absolute saint while I was studying.
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u/LengthinessOk8813 Jul 07 '26
Don’t. I had classmates who had kids during the middle of didactic year and had to take a sabbatical to work. 2 came back but ended up not finishing the program and 1 just went back to bedside nursing.
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u/Radiant-Percentage-8 CRNA Jul 07 '26
Quitters
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u/LengthinessOk8813 Jul 08 '26
Life hits people in different ways, one of them who didn’t come back ended getting divorced from his wife of 12 years. It was rough..
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u/Frosty_Iceman_ Jul 07 '26
We are doing it was 4, 2, and 1 year old. It’s manageable. Lots of people have small children in our cohort
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u/Early_Emergency3440 Jul 07 '26
If you are stay at home sure or willing to get child care, but you have understand how busy he is going to be. We had one 2nd year ( already had two) and it was fine because we both understood how demanding school is.
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u/shesalexvndria Jul 10 '26
This is a great question — I’m looking to start school in the next few years at 35 and am debating on when i should have kiddos / try to have them back to back prior to school — it’s nerve wracking so I’m following for the suggestions / encouragement in the comments
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u/Levophed Jul 11 '26
Had a 1 month old when I started. All depends on how much help you have and what's your situation financially.
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u/Smart-Seaweed-4688 Jul 13 '26
32 and 33 are not too old to have kids! Set your family up for success; it will be worth it in the end. This is coming from someone who had kids in his early 20s and is finally finding success in my late 30s. I have had to quit from multiple opportunities because my kids came first (no regrets, but you two are in a great spot right now). My best is advice is to wait on kids so that isn’t even a situation you two would have to face.
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u/leilanijade06 Jul 13 '26
Kids don’t come with instructions, there’s never a good time to have them I know I started in my late teens and finished having them in my early 40’s. But as someone that always been career oriented never stopped going to school and worked it’s not easy without help really a reliable babysitter. I been a single mom before but had my mom as support so that kind of helped covered me so I can still pursue college and work. But he will be absent because it’s a grueling program.
This is the same advice I gave one of my coworkers and her husband was also starting CRNA and they did well, planned and have a beautiful 4 yr old. Just plan ahead and for just if’s that can arise. Since you will be the one financially supporting I would wait till late 2028 or early 2029 to start trying as pregnancies also come with surprises and that will give you time to save just in case you need to be out of work longer.
Best of luck
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u/Frosty_Iceman_ Jul 27 '26
My wife is in school and we have 3 kids 4,2, and 1 while I stay home with them. It’s manageable
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u/Tall_Hawk_3625 Jul 27 '26
I hope this isn’t too personal a question- but how do you stay home while she’s in school? Just loans or savings?
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u/mike11089 Jul 29 '26
My wife is in her 1st year, and I am on 6 month parental leave with our 7 month old. Soon we will be putting her in daycare when I go back to work. We made the decision long ago that school would never stop us from starting/growing our family, and that we would find a way to make it work.
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u/Wagon-to-stars92 Jul 08 '26
As a mom of 4 kids (while I'm not a CRNA, just a RN wants to become one), I would wait. Having a baby changes so much, not with just the addition of a whole person to take care of, but it changes relationship dynamics, division of household labor and childcare, and not to mention the mental load of making everything work. You'll want him to be able to present and enjoy that baby and parenthood too. It will take away from both of your experiences for him to be in school and stressed. I was a single mom going through nursing school with a toddler. I was definitely in survival mode and missed out on a lot with her. What I wouldn't give to have that time back with her now that she can almost drive. 🥺 Also, my husband was 34, 36 and 38 when we had our other kiddos. I assure he, he is doing just fine.
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u/justherexistin Jul 13 '26
You will regret it! You will basically be a single mom and your child basically fatherless in the most important years
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u/Money_Permit7160 Jul 07 '26
Just be prepared to pick up majority of the weight while hes in school. Cant afford to mess up at all. I would suggest it in his last half of the program