Do you break for baby?

[lea_lpz]

I just found out I am expecting after miscarrying 4 months ago and am due March 29.

 

I'm trying to figure out if I should change my schedule around or not and am wondering how much time off I should take.

 

We will complete 6 weeks of mfw 1st by August 16. We've been doing 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off this summer.

 

My plan for this was to be able to do school 4 days a week during the school year so my dd could do a kids in nature class and pony club class for homeschoolers one morning a week. So the idea was to do the classes one morning a week, 1 exploration day and 3 days of regular school a week. I know some consolidate mfw into 4 days by adding one of the light Friday activities to another day, but I really want to do the nature walks and science journals, and I know my dd who is really a hands on learner will benefit from the reading games and pattern blocks, so I felt like if I tacked those things on to the end of the other 4 days a week, it wouldn't happen. So following our local school calander and doing school 4 days a week, we'd be done by June 5.

 

But with the possibility of having a baby, if we do school 5 days a week, or I do consolidate the 5 days into 4, we could finish up the entire school year before baby is due and then take end of march until the end of August or early September off.

 

Another option would be to just break when baby is here or near due and just finish up whatever needs to be done over summer, continuing with the 4 day a week plan.

 

For those of you unfamiliar with mfw 1st, it is 170 days of curriculum, with 35 weeks of school scheduled 5 days a week with a "light" exploration day for Friday. We are also doing preschool with my 4 year old and some wee folk art activities and HWOT, so we typically spend about 3 hours on school but take a couple breaks so we typically start at 8 am and break by noon.

 

When you have a newborn, how long have you taken off? I know I probably don't need that long off, but it's an option.

 

I kind if wonder if the structure and stability of school would be better for the kids with a new baby anyway as we'd just be home a lot any way. In that case maybe I would only break a couple weeks.

 

I am curious to hear what others have done.

[TracyP]

I usually take a break for about a week + however many days 'til the next Monday. A little break is nice so we can snuggle baby, watch movies, take naps, and snuggle some more. :) That is enough of a break for me. I always feel ready to move back into real life pretty quick.

[My3Munchkins]

YDD was born at the beginning of Sept.  We started our school year at the beginning of August, took 1-2 weeks off when she was born then jumped back in.  Homeschooling with a newborn was a breeze compared to homeschooling with an active toddler!

[lea_lpz]

YDD was born at the beginning of Sept. We started our school year at the beginning of August, took 1-2 weeks off when she was born then jumped back in. Homeschooling with a newborn was a breeze compared to homeschooling with an active toddler!

Ok I was thinking it probably takes 2 weeks to feel up to doing stuff and with the baby sleeping a lot anyway....

[FO4UR]

You never know what life will bring.  I had 3 rather uneventful births, and then #4 was an emergency c/s and a NICU stay...and exclusive pumping for a month after that.  I am so very glad that I started school early and really dug our heels in and worked up until the last few weeks of the pregnancy.  We needed every break day we took after baby came.  Baby was born mid-December.  We took off from Thanksgiving through January.  We went at a half-pace through February.  

 

We did use Time4Learning during most of our time off.  We were able to log hours to complete state requirements this way even though our normal curricula was on hold.

 

 

 

 

[Soror]

I think I took off about 2 weeks last time, including my 2 day labor. 1.5-2 wks has been my average for the last 2.

[Coco_Clark]

It is probably a good idea to have a "plan B" and some wiggle room because as a previous poster said, birth can be unpredictable.  That being said though, I've always found it much easier to get things done those first few months after having a baby than later when they are teething, crawling, ect.  If I was you I would plan a week or two off, just to help you heal and rest and everyone readjust, and then get back into it.  Newborns sleep pretty much all day long, it's not hard to teach or read aloud while nursing, and wearing a baby during those first 6 months you can even forget they are there. I had our latest babe in mid September.  We waited to start school until October and honestly I didn't have any troubles until the very end when he was mobile enough to be constantly eating cuisinare rods and suddenly decided to get terribly jealous whenever I read to the other boys :/  Last year was a breeze, its this year I'm worried about!! 

[Holly]

I'm usually a fan of getting back right away (otherwise my older DC are bored and start getting into trouble), but like PP said, you never know what will happen.  My 4th child had an extended hospital stay and seemed to catch one cold after another (I blame the dr. waiting rooms)!  We didn't get much done that entire year.   :blush:  Generally though, I find it easier to school with a newborn than a fussy 3 mo old...or a super-destructive, whiny toddler.   :lol:  We are expecting a baby in February and I'm hoping to start as soon as possible and get as many days in as we can before that!  

 

Also, whatever you do, keep in mind you may have to slow down for the last month...I'm always so tired and miserable at that point.  

[redsquirrel]

It is good to have a plan b, for sure. But I wished I had listened to friends who told me to take the time off before the baby came. I pushed and pushed to get it all done and I was so tired and miserable. Then, once baby was born, I was back to my energetic self. I had planned to give myself weeks and weeks off after the baby came, but I just didn't need/want it. I wish I had taken it before, when I was so tired and cranky.

[maize]

With my August baby we worked through the summer then took two months off when the baby was born.

[NASDAQ]

When I had a baby, I took off days that she and I were actually in the hospital. Since she got booted back to NICU for a short stay, that meant that I went into labour on Sunday (and did school before that) and came home on Thursday afternoon (and did school that day).

 

 

[skeeterbug]

ETA: just saw the first part of your post that says you are expecting. What I wrote must have seemed very insensitive, I apologize, I truly had missed that part.

 

I've got a newborn right now, we school on a calendar year. DH gets four weeks off work and we are taking off all of it. I am determined to enjoy this last little one. School can wait until DH goes back to work.

[kdownie]

I had my youngest last November 9th. It was ideal timing bc we took school completely off for more than a month (some of that was thanksgiving break), did a week or so of light school in December (mostly because dd was bored and needed the work!). I then took of 2-3 weeks for Christmas. A total of 7 or so weeks off. I only had a first grader in actual school. My others are younger.

[Embassy]

I took 6 months off, but my only baby while homeschooling was my youngest and my oldest was in Kindergarten.

[DianeW88]

I had uneventful births and recoveries, so I did not take time off.  With my first two, it wasn't necessary, as they were too young to homeschool.  LOL  With my last child, my oldest was 10, and my middle was 7...I felt that taking time off would be detrimental to their education.  Besides homeschooling with a newborn is a piece of cake.  It's homeschooling with an 18 month old that makes you want to pull your hair out.

[abacus2]

I always am surprised by the variety of answers to this question which seem to range from none to really things will be off track for two years. You don't know ahead of time what pregnancy will bring or what problems or difficulty might happen with your newborn. I would not overload a first grader to try to finish everything planned by a March birth. I would do first grade according to your original plan and if things are crazy after baby comes, it's first grade. You don't have to do every single lesson to call it a worthwhile year.

[2_girls_mommy]

I am also due in Feb.  My plan is to take the 1-2 wks off or slow.  They will be taking some classes for co-op and they will have to keep up with those, throughout.  So there will be some work.

 

But if things don't work out, and we don't jump back in as fully and quickly as expected for whatever reason then I will have the summer to shore things up before the next year.  I am not going to take in babysitting kids next summer for exactly this reason.  It will give us family time and/or catch up time.  We have used summers before for a few things but never full time.  They would just have to understand this is a special year if that is to happen.

 

I did take in an 18 mo old for a few months last year during the school year and it was SO hard to get work done on the days she was here.  I am not excited about that point in our homeschooling, except that my girls will be older then and hopefully the younger will be a bit more independent and can go off to her room to her desk to do a few things on her own.  One can hope...

[duckens]

1)  CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW PREGNANCY!!!!! :party:

2)  The best advice I got concerning homeschooling when pregnant with #2 was, "Just plan that you will fall behind, and be okay with it."

 

3 ) Work while you can.  You don't even know what kind of pregnancy you will have.  Some moms end up on bedrest or have spotting problems.  I was lucky enough to not have any of that, but I could barely walk for months and months because of hip pain, and I threw up every day.

 

Have a Plan B for days during the pregnancy that you are not well.  Be okay with shorter days if you need it.  Some days, you may just run through flashcards.  Other days, you may do only art.

[MinivanMom]

Congrats!

 

I've always made the effort to be done with our school year by the baby's birth.  Then I can choose to take a few months off if I feel like we need it.  

[twoxcell]

We took off 2 weeks after my last baby. I was ready to get back to it after 1 week though. I find the baby stage much easier than the toddler age anyways. ;)

[MusicMama]

I would plan to take off the majority of the time after the baby.  So maybe plowing through to accomplish more and finish early would be best.  HOWEVER, life happens!  I became pregnant with my 4th, and things were going great.  I even attended the backcountry campout for 4 days while 12 weeks pregnant.  I planned on staying active all the way to delivery.  At 20 weeks, we found it was twins!  At 27 weeks, I went to the hospital for steady, increasing contractions.  They stopped, but I was told to take it easy.  That ended school, and we went on survival mode.  6 months after the twin's arrival and c section, I am feeling back to normal.  So have a plan, but be willing to modify it!

[PentecostalMom]

I will let you know in a few weeks, lol!  It seems every new baby has been different.  Right now I am trying to survive wedding planning.  Oldest ds is getting married this Friday (four days!!!!) and I am 35 weeks pregnant.  For the last two weeks we have not gotten any school done at all (except Sonlight read-alouds and dd reading to siblings).  Monday I plan to start back with phoncs/reading, math, bible, handwriting, and dh will start again with piano lessons.  I will not plan on anything else until after it's time for the newest little one to arrive.  If I get tired, we stop.  Dd is in 1st grade so for me, it's not that big of a deal.  We generally school year round, taking breaks when needed and over the holidays, but not really in the summer.  We will probably start back with 2-3 subjects and then add in what we need to finish this school year.  I will start the 2013-2014 school year when we get the loose ends tied up!