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Hello!

My husband and I would like to have a baby soon and I'm strongly considering being pregnant during the CA bar. I would love feedback from girls who have done this. In case it matters, I'm ranked high in my class, I test well (though I can become a stressball), and while I'm quite certain this will be my hardest, it will not be my first profesional licensing exam. I don't expect passing to be a problem but I am a little concerned about having time to take care of myself and a cooking baby while doing Barbri and keeping myself from bathing the baby in stress hormones for a couple months.

Thanks!!

Have you seen this already?

http://abovethelaw.com/2011/07/outstand ... ght-after/

(No pregnancy during the bar exam for me, so I can't give any concrete advice - but I wish you luck! From having taken the bar and seeing my friends' pregnancies I think the biggest issue would be that you can't predict how the pregnancy will go - a trouble-free pregnancy would probably be fine, but someone I know in law school ended up giving birth at 24 weeks. I'm sure at that point the last thing you care about is the bar exam, but it would certainly derail things.)

mia137 wrote:Hello!

My husband and I would like to have a baby soon and I'm strongly considering being pregnant during the CA bar. I would love feedback from girls who have done this. In case it matters, I'm ranked high in my class, I test well (though I can become a stressball), and while I'm quite certain this will be my hardest, it will not be my first profesional licensing exam. I don't expect passing to be a problem but I am a little concerned about having time to take care of myself and a cooking baby while doing Barbri and keeping myself from bathing the baby in stress hormones for a couple months.

Thanks!!

I don't think this helps you any, but I'm planning to do the exact same thing. Planning to take the new early AZ bar, so I have the summer bar as a back-up if the first one fall through (in case of medical complications or who knows what). It'll definitely be an adventure.

My wife is due 12 days before the bar exam. Not a big deal.

I'm a 1L and my wife is due any day now. I hope my stress levels have not been affecting my baby through third party osmosis.

mia137 wrote:Hello!

My husband and I would like to have a baby soon and I'm strongly considering being pregnant during the CA bar. I would love feedback from girls who have done this. In case it matters, I'm ranked high in my class, I test well (though I can become a stressball), and while I'm quite certain this will be my hardest, it will not be my first profesional licensing exam. I don't expect passing to be a problem but I am a little concerned about having time to take care of myself and a cooking baby while doing Barbri and keeping myself from bathing the baby in stress hormones for a couple months.

Thanks!!

If you're okay with potentially having to withdraw/retake, I think it's a fine idea. But realize that: (a) you don't know how your body will react to pregnancy; (b) many women have a tough time with pregnancy (think: recurrent bouts of serious nausea, trouble keeping food down, mood swings, etc.); and (c) the bar exam is stressful without having extra hurdles to jump over.
(Disclaimer: I'm a man)

I'm loving all the input! Thank you so much and keep it coming.

I think we might try for a window that would have me in the second trimester for the bulk of the study and testing period - hopefully any morning sickness or fatigue will have passed and I'll still be able to sit for long periods without feeling awful. Of course, that puts the first trimester during my last semester, when I was planning on having a full load since I'm graduating early. I might have to take a second required course this summer so I only have 13 units in the fall. Luckily, I've saved both my pass/fail elections and my summer employer will let me work part time during the summer session!