How to Plan College Semesters as a Pregnant Student

How do you plan ahead when you’re a pregnant college student? How do you balance semesters with trimesters? How many classes should you take? This post will help you strategize your course load, communicate with your professors, and pave the path to academic success. Succeeding in college while pregnant is absolutely possible, it just helps to have a plan.

What to expect in each trimester
The first trimester is usually the most challenging because symptoms like morning sickness, fatigue, and mood instability are common during this time. The second trimester is known for being the easiest. The third trimester can be challenging due to discomfort, unpredictability, and impatience for pregnancy to be over. Recovery time after birth varies, but even if birth goes smoothly your body will need some time to heal.

How to strategize your course load
First, determine when your baby is expected to arrive relative to significant academic obligations like finals, internships, labs, and clinicals.

If your due date is near the end of a semester or during a break, it might make sense to stay full-time during pregnancy and then take a lighter semester after the baby arrives. You could also plan to take easier electives or online classes postpartum.

If you expect to have difficult symptoms or a lot of commitments to juggle, like a job, student teaching, or work-study, you might reduce your course load during the third trimester. Many students switch to online courses, take fewer credits, or focus on easier courses during late pregnancy.

Some students pause for one semester to have their baby, recover from birth, and adjust to life with a newborn. If your physical or mental health is struggling, birth timing overlaps with finals, or you’re uncertain of childcare and family support, this may be the healthiest option. Taking a temporary leave doesn’t mean you failed.

If your due date is close to finals week, you may need accommodations to finish the semester after it officially ends. This could involve due date extensions or temporarily having an “incomplete” grade on your transcript. If you think you might need to take an incomplete grade, check your school policies and talk with your academic advisor as early as possible.

Course sequencing can help reduce stress. Consider saving your hardest classes for the second trimester, or after you’ve adjusted postpartum. Scheduling electives, online courses, general education classes, or flexible classes closer to delivery or early on in parenting can give you breathing room to focus on your personal life. Some students also use summer or winter sessions to squeeze in extra credits before birth or catch up later on.

Other considerations for scheduling school around pregnancy
Before making any final decisions, make sure you understand how your course load will impact financial aid opportunities, scholarships, and housing. Many forms of academic assistance have requirements related to enrollment status, credit hours, or GPA. Double-check class availability to see if they are only available in certain semesters or once a year. Understanding these requirements in advance can help you avoid unexpected delays in graduation or disruptions to financial support.

Other ways to get more scheduling flexibility

• Ask professors for assignments ahead of time and turn them in early if possible
  
• Ask for due date extensions
  
• When needed, ask if your professor will allow make-up work opportunities
  
• Collaborate with your professors to make a plan early in the semester
  
• Take online classes
  
• See if you get academic maternity leave and discuss with the Title IX office; you may be a candidate for a leave of absence that cannot impact your grades
  
• You may need to provide the school with a doctor’s note; remembering to ask for one at your regularly scheduled appointments can help prevent delays
  
• Understand the attendance policy for all your classes and if needed, ask about accommodations to reduce on-campus attendance
  
• If your professor isn’t open to accommodating your medical condition, escalate immediately, or withdraw and switch to another class before the deadline
  

Planning ahead when pregnant
A lot of pregnancy and childbirth is unpredictable. You might have symptoms flare up randomly, or birth complications you didn’t expect. You might expect one trimester to be completely different than it turns out to be. That’s why, as cliche as it sounds, you should expect the unexpected and build buffers for yourself before you need them. 

Here’s how to plan for the unplannable. Don’t expect peak performance from yourself. Don’t hold yourself to perfection. When you're making plans, try not to assume you'll be operating at 100% the whole time, but don't assume the worst either. Instead, think about where you can build in flexibility. The goal isn't to predict exactly what will happen. It's to set yourself up so that if something does come up, you have options.

Support
Need help planning ahead? The Avi Project is devoted to assisting college students navigating unplanned pregnancy. We know that support can be an important factor in your success, as you continue your education and adjust to the demands of parenting. We’ve stood in your shoes before. Call or text us today at ​720-386-6009 to learn more. It’s free and confidential.