The Pregnant College Student
By: Cate Chevnov
Approximately 4.8 million undergraduate students attending college are raising children. When I began college in the fall of 2007, I never thought I’d be receiving that diploma ten years later, but fate had another plan. The statistics are grim, regarding the number of young mothers completing a four-year degree after having children. As I enter my 10th year of my bachelor’s program, I now have a 2 ½ year old and am currently 8 months pregnant. I am finishing my final semester at SSU and look forward to being a mother of 2 boys, without regret.
Although my body is going through immense changes, my brain is working just fine, and I have managed to plow through part time school and achieve my goals. There have been many challenges along the way, such as always finding myself enrolled in once a week 140 minute classes, of which I must pee at least 3 times. As I approach 9 months wide, I no longer fit into the desk, and I am not sure where I will be sitting, I fear it is in front of the class. Coming to class the first week of September, I choose to inform all of my professors of my pregnancy before the semester began, considering my chances of going into labor during finals in December; this conversation was bizarre when it came to male professors, and made for that awkward, 'so you'll be missing some class...', 'only if I go into early labor'.
Raising a 2-year-old, taking 3 classes, growing another human inside me, and ALL those doctor appointments, I find that I spend my free time sleeping or sitting in Salem traffic! When I am not sitting in traffic, or looking for somewhere to pull over to pee, I try to park as close as possible to the building, only to find that I still have to waddle at least a half a mile up Lafayette Street. I also worry about whether or not the baby will pop out right in the middle of a final exam, and how this will affect my grade. If all of this isn’t enough to slow a person down, walking into each class once a week, you start to realize that people are noticing your bump, though they still seem weary to ask you, ‘are you having a baby?’; they only stare and try to stay out of your way. The one thing I can be grateful for is I am planning on having my baby at Salem Hospital, if I go into labor on campus the hospital is actually closer than to my home. I know I am not the first pregnant student, and I will surely not be the last. Should you find yourself pregnant before graduation, don't fret, after all is said and done, a beautiful life becomes a part of your life, making you forget all the aches and pains of pregnancy.
I encourage young pregnant moms to pursue their degrees, and hope that in the future, better resources will be available for pregnant women who choose to continue through school. If you seek more information please visit thepregnantscholar.org, which outlines rights and supports available to the pregnant or parenting students.
Waddle on, pregnant scholars!