Study or work while preg?

Im currently getting youth allowance for being a fulltime uni student. Any intellect I did have seems to be draining away I can't concentrate I cant remember anything and was going to defer 6months next semester anyway because bubs would be due just before final exams and when final assignments are due. I called and talked to centrelink today they said all they could do would be to put me on jobseeker payments while I'm not studying and then afterwards I get parent payments...or if I got a job I could work but want to be a stay at home mum (or work part time).

Thing is I don't mind working (I looked for 8 months extremely actively till I gave up a month ago)I just need a more sit down office sort of job or I get back spasms and pass out a lot (and thats before getting pregnant!) problem is I only have casual experience and no qualifications in that area but Im good at it. I'm having a talk with my parents tonight and DP I still want to study but only two subjects instead of 4 and would be able to save more money working than sitting around at home all day and pretty much I'M SICK OF IT! I NEED OUT! I'm bored, the cats are driving me insane (love them but they love me too much and won't leave me alone, and are destroying everything, I have one on me now and one on my textbooks).But then I keep telling myself I don't think I'll be able to handle being pregnant, studying and working. This is even if anywhere is willing to employ me..

I know there are a lot of experienced mums and dads on here. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what they would do with the experiences and knowledge they have and whether or not working is a good idea or should I keep studying till I have to look for work in 4-5months time? I still plan on finishing my degrees, I'm 20 so I'm really not worried if it takes another 5 years till I have all my bits of paper under me (which I can't see it taking that long but you never know). I'm going to give myself till the end of the week to decide and will probably go talk to a centrelink officer about it all as well so they can better talk me through the fine print, but yes still looking for what others would advise and why.

Thank you for any and all help and information sorry I wasnt sure where else to post this

Oh, CelticMoon, I was where you are 12 months ago! Only, I waited too long, and ended up paying for the semester and pulling out anyway!
I wasn't working full time, I was working casually, so I could handle that. I just couldn't get back from work and sit and study. I tried, but my mind would wander and try to think about the pregnancy instead. I was flogging a dead horse, essentially, so I took an intermission because I loved the course too much to mess it up. I also didn't want to resent either the course or the baby, so I gave all my time over to being pregnant instead. I definitely felt the 'drain' and no matter how much I tried to concentrate, I just couldn't. I'm so glad I did. I took 6 months off and now I'm trying to do second year all over again. It's hard to find the time to study, so I don't know how well I'll do, but here's to giving it a go!
I went through the major guilts when I took that intermission - I felt like a quitter, but slowly realised that it's not what I was doing. I was just giving myself the space I needed to be preggers. I had also gone through summer school, the passing of my FIL, the 2006 bushfires and my parents nearly splitting up (had they done one or the other, it would have been different, but my dad 'ran away' then came back the week of my summer exam...and also of my 30th birthday), so if it wasn't emotional enough, it just added to it all being pregnant!
I would definitely recommend taking the time off. The study will be there for when you're ready to go back - your first pregnancy and the first 6 months of your baby's life happen once!
I still have no 'real' qualification (I have an Arts Honours degree so far, and am undertaking a grad dip in psych), but it will always be there...put it this way, if I wasn't studying at home now (and not going back to work until Oscar's over 12 months old) I would have missed Oscar's first steps last week. This kiddie has put things into nice perspective for me :) He's helped me let go of a lot of my self-conceptualisations, and cemented others for me.
My tip is to put the kid first...everything else will find a nice spot afterwards...

Thank you for your advise its good to know Im not the only one! I think its what I will need to do centrelink could decide to stop my payments at any point because of what DP earns they've already been severly reduced and we aren't really affording to live too well so even if I work 2 days a week I'll still be getting more than centrelink and if I try and get tues-wed work my parents can babysit once bubs is born if I wanted to continue working as i dont want to use daycare (not going against anyone who does I just trust my mum more than staff I dont know well).

Also sort of want to do it now as one subject is giving me a heap of stress but if I drop it I get my payments cut but if I dont act soon I'll still have to pay for the semester which you know all too well lol

IK I took your advise Im now doing part time study and have to look for work as a jobseeker but as i do study part time i only have to find part time work which is all i want and if i dont earn enough they will suppliment my pay till 6 weeks before my pop out date then i get parent payments.

So yes thank you for your advise and shared experience I talked to my mum and she agrees as well shes just worried a job will stress me too mcuh but i couldnt get one when i wasnt preg lol

When I was 20 I had no office experience, but I knew how to use computers etc. I started temping which got me the experience, now I have a ton of experience and I have a great, permanent office job.

While your pregnant, temping is probably a great thing to do because you get some money, you can take jobs when you want to, and you don't get caught up in the office politics. I highly recommend temping as a way to gain experience.

You'll need to do some tests so the agency(s) know what you're computer capabilities are (usually they'll test for typing speed, data entry, word & excel) I think as long as you can do 35-40wpm and have intermediate word/excel skills you'll be fine.

When I first started temping at the age of 20 I had a typing speed of 40wpm, now I'm 24 and my speed is about 70wpm (coz I've been typing everyday since the age of 20)

All the best

Thank you for that Im really good with computers and typing but unfortunately excel i know nothing about and its scarey and evil. I am going to talk to centrelink because i know they run weekend courses and stuff you can do for free if you are a job seeker because I have to learn it for accounting subjects later on

I was going to suggest temping also, I've heard of a few pregnant ladies doing it and it seems the way to go.

Excel is actually a lot easier than it looks. There are tutorials free online where you can teach yourself from it. If centrelink runs a free course, that's awesome too! You sound very proactive about it, and I'm sure you will have no trouble with that attitude.


Good luck!

I have an appointment with a recruitment company tomorrow I have to go or they cut my payments (its 15minutes of my day i really dont mind lol) and they take my resume and start trying to get me work. The lady I talked to said there was no way in hell I'd be getting a job being pregnant though, but wished me the best of luck at any rate lol and I get an extra $50 a fortnight woohoo!

Good luck CelticMoon!
If I am successful TTC :pray: then I might find myself in a similar situation because I am currently working full-time and also just started my Masters! Eeek...

I conceived during the summer holidays and re-enroled into full time uni as a third year degree student in 2007. I have since deferred for a year as my pregnancy is high risk and I did not want assignment and exam stress on top of everything else!

I live on the mid north coast of NSW and I study externally with Edith Cowan University in Perth, WA. I fly back and forth to classes 4 times a year, so the travelling/being so far away from home was also a factor in my deferral.

I had to make a quick decision myself, as if I had left it another day or two, it would have been a very expensive semester for nothing. Lol. There is not alot you can do about those cut off dates.

IK ~ I can apprieciate your journey so far, half of this stuff is more just to do with uni/study, what should I/shouldn't I do, pregnant or not!!! It sounds as though you have done a great deal, I'm so happy for you!

Thinking of you CelticMoon, I know the pull between work and study is hard let alone keeping centrelink happy!

Let us know how you go,

Thank you I did drop down to two subjects so now I have to look for part time work its not so hard though I apply for 4 jobs a fortnight minimum and have to apply for at least one job from an employment agency so its not that hard. Had to go see centrelink today to answer a million questions they are so nosey! They were wondering if I could bring dad2be and my ex in to talk to them yeah sure one big happy family NOT!!! I said no way on earth would I talk to my ex full stop and dad2be works fulltime so he cant make it in their open hours so I just had to answer all the questions as best i could.

So far so good I did well in my first two assignments even with the ms and sickness hoping i do as well in the next major ones then i can relax about studying. Think I will do one subject next semester just to keep my brain from imploding and then defer for 6 months at the start of next year.

I know what you mean about the cut off dates I dropped subjects one day before the cut off otherwise wouldve been expensive i know! Glad you made it in time definately takes some of the stress out of it thats for sure

Anyways on phone to a long lost buddy shall leave it here cant type and talk at same time too well lol