How to homeschool while you’re pregnant: 1st Trimester

For many moms, the joy of waking up to see those two blue lines is unprecedented and almost indescribable. There is a mix of joy, excitement, fear, panic, peace, confusion, and many more emotions and thoughts running through your mind. If you’re a planner like me, your mind instantly starts racing with all the plans that need to be made to help ensure the most enjoyable journey ahead for everyone in the house. You think about creating a safe space for the new little one and what you might need to care for him or her well. You think about how to help other siblings and family members adapt and connect with the new addition.

If you’re a homeschooling mom expecting a new little baby, you’re also probably trying to figure out how you will homeschool during your pregnancy, and later with a newborn baby to care for. I felt the same way. As soon as I received my first heavy dose of pregnancy hormones and the nausea and fatigue set in, the realities of what the next year could entail hit me.

After much prayer, a few tears, and some good old common-sense planning, I’ve come to be reminded of just how much grace there are within the parenting and homeschooling journey. Let me assure you that there is grace for you too.

Have grace for yourself and your family members

I’m here to let you know that there is so much grace for moms in the homeschooling journey and that includes this precious time in your family. Every person in your home will likely go through a whole lot of emotions in their own ways.

Your husband, if he is the main provider for your family, might be concerned about finances and your health. Your children are likely trying to find their own way of understanding what it all means and why their mom is suddenly so tired and seemingly unwell. Allow each person the space to process the news, and this includes you. Having fears and doubts and questions is normal.

During your first trimester of pregnancy, your hormones are likely to make you feel quite terrible at times, and sticking to your homeschooling schedule might start to feel like an impossible task. Remember that this shall pass, and its highly unlikely to feel like this forever. Soon you’ll be able to resume some of those house tasks you simply couldn’t get done in your condition, and you’ll be able to enjoy the times of learning with your children again.

In the meantime, don’t panic and worry about their school progress in the short term. There will be a lot of time later to ‘catch up’ and spend time on academics. If your body is demanding that you slow things down, you need to listen.  Use this opportunity to help them learn about babies and pregnancy first hand.  Let them take on age-appropriate tasks in the home and include them in the journey. The things they learn now could be so valuable to them when they’re expecting their own babies one day. Part of your decision to homeschool your kids in the first place was probably so you could help prepare them for real life, and it doesn’t get more real than this!

Have a plan

Having a flexible plan can go a long way toward making you feel more confident and stress less. A flexible plan is one written in pencil, not pen – or an editable Excel sheet if that’s more your thing. Plan out what curriculum or books you’d like to work through with each of your children but resist adding too many times and dates to them. During this time specially its best to aim for progress rather than for completion goals. This is especially important if you’re homeschooling young children who aren’t able to do much work independently.

Here are some things to consider in your plan:

• Try to find out what time of the day you feel at your best and prioritise doing schoolwork with your young kids during this time.
• Have some things on hand that can occupy your kids independently on the days where you’re truly not up to teaching.
• If you have older children that can help, let them read to the younger kids.
• If you’re not doing so already, consider using a curriculum that is open-and-go, and doesn’t require too much additional preparation. This wouldn’t only make your life easier but it creates opportunities for someone else, like your husband, to step in and handle the schoolwork on the days you’re up to it.

Ask for help

If you’re a proud mama with a tendency to want to do it all yourself (like myself), this is a good time take a breath and realise that you don’t have to. If you and your family are going to thrive through this challenging but exciting time, you’re going to have to learn to ask for help.

As you’re planning for the time ahead, try to separate your tasks into ones that you may be able to outsource to others, and those you really don’t want to or can’t. This will help you get a good sense of which tasks you should prioritize when you’re feeling up to it and also enable you to use offers for help meaningfully when they come along.

Also take a look at the community around you whom you could lean on if needed. Are there tasks your family could help with in the home? Are there other family members and friends that live nearby you can lean on for support? If you don’t already have a strong community around you, reach out to your church for support. They can usually help you connect with people who can love and support you through this time.

I hope these ideas will help you look at this time as an opportunity to grow new friendships and build a strong community around your family. How have you managed homeschooling during your pregnancy? Share your own tips in the comments!