Homeschooling, Pregnancy and Complications | How to Homeschool While pregnant

Homeschooling while pregnant doesn’t have to be an unattainable task. In fact, if you try these methods listed below, you will find that its easier than you think.

As a mom of four girls, being free from babies for nearly seven years, I found myself pregnant with my fifth baby, a little boy in 2021. It came as a surprise, followed by covid towards the end of my first trimester.

Homeschooling while sick is another dilemma all its own, which I discuss exclusively in the article Homeschool Late Start. However, seeing that I became sick just about our homeschool break time, I didn’t have to worry about having classes and going out. We cuddled up as a family in the living room, eating soups, drinking electrolytes, and watching movies.

Being pregnant however, proved a difficult task as first, because I began to suffer from morning sickness, with a high sensitivity to smells. My mornings were thrown off, my girls couldn’t complete our unit studies and a change was needed. Later towards my third trimester, I endured cervical bleeding, that had me partially bed rested and needing to visit the hospital weekly for nonstress test or NST.

Furthermore, being pregnant while homeschooling didn’t look like it would be easy. I kept thinking back to how did I do it all those years before when I had the twins and the two toddlers? It seemed like a century ago really, and I was way under thirty.

Regardless how I felt, school needed to continue, and these tips and tricks are what I learned along the way. If you are currently pregnant, I hope they help you navigate your homeschool, and if you are thinking of becoming pregnant and you homeschool, I hope this helps you plan.

I could not find a helpful article while I was pregnant to give me tips or tricks, even advice. So, I knew once I endured the struggle, I wanted to share what I did along the way, so another momma or family could succeed.

Take It Easy

The first thing you need to do, is take it easy mom. You are doing an amazing thing; you are carrying LIFE. Nothing can be better than this right now. God has given you a gift, and this wonderful gift requires you to slow down a bit, if you have been working like a busy bee, it’s time to start smelling those flowers!

During this period, don’t try to push yourself too hard. You will hopefully receive that burst of energy in your second trimester. I did and felt like I could do anything. Homeschool was a whole lot more fun at this point, as I took time to do a few field trips that I wouldn’t have been able to do in my first and last trimesters.

Find periods to rest, regardless how you feel, your rest will add up in the end. Try some of the tactics discussed in my article Homeschool Late Start, which included listening to audiobooks, read-aloud chapter books, and unit studies that will allow your students to complete worksheets or journal, just to name a few.

This article also discusses how to keep records, which are important in your homeschool journey. If you find it easier for your students to work out of a journal, do so. It makes record keeping a snap! Remember to have them date all their work.

If you need help understanding what journaling is or the term notebooking, check out this article here, “Notebooking for The Summer.” Just take it easy momma!

Plan Ahead

As you think about purchasing your homeschools books or curriculum for the year, think about a backup plan, God forbid anything to go wrong or happen.

Its important as homeschool parents to be resourceful and have a list of homeschool helps available that you can refer to through the year, or as a just in case.

My article titled “2021-2022 Homeschool Curriculum,” discusses this in detail, as well as the article “How To Homeschool Practically Free,” “Free Homeschool Resources,” and “How To Build Your Own Homeschool Curriculum.”

If that’s not enough, join our Private Satellite School to give yourself a break. We offer many of the resources that will get you through your pregnancy even without a plan. Our unit studies are free, we have an assortment or PSP resources in our library, including writing/drawing prompts, games, video lists and ideas to last throughout the year and more, because we are constantly creating more content.

Go With the Flow

Go with the flow of your homeschool. Don’t try to control or plan every little detail. Yes, plan, but also know when to just go with the flow of it.

The Bible says,

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

In the plans that you make, allow yourself wiggle room to just go with it. For instance, you planned to dive into ocean studies this year, planned all these events, books and projects, but all you end up doing is watching ocean exploratory videos and listening to ocean adventure read a-louds, go with it. Have your students write papers, stories, and draw pictures. Just go with the flow and move on from there, making math a daily exercise of no more than 25-30 minutes a day.

Ask For Help

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The task of homeschooling can seem daunting when faced with any kind of pregnancy complications and depending on where you are in your homeschooling journey, you might feel unmotivated. But with Christ, we can do all things!

I know that for many mothers, “help” is not really an option. In my case, I didn’t have much outside help, but my husband was my helper. He would give instructions, help with the read alouds, and math.

Ask your spouse, your mom, sister, anyone who you can trust to help you homeschool for a short season or with the major stuff, like field trips, math, projects, etc.  If necessary, don’t plan any future field trips or events until you are better, and know you can do it. Instead, allow your students to become self-learners when they are done with the main parts of school. Give them a journal and let them explore books either in the library or online.

Middle and high school students should mostly be independent learners by now, if not, these tactics work for them too!

In some cases, family members might not support your choice to homeschool, this is where a friend or church friend comes in to help. Wherever your help source comes from, don’t be afraid to just ask them. And if it’s just only going to be you, then keep going with the flow of your homeschool.

Remember, You Can Do This!

Remember, you CAN do this momma! Homeschooling your child is the best decision you will ever make for them. Sam Sorbo says it best, “you are enough… I could fail at homeschooling, and we’d still end up ahead of the game. We’d still be better off.”

Remember why you started your homeschooling journey in the first place. No school or homeschool will ever be perfect. You are learning with your child, doing what works for them and your family. You are equipping your students with all the essentials needed to learn and you can customize your own homeschool. You are helping your child receive an individualized education, that will help equip them spiritually, emotionally, physically, academically, and more!

Don’t worry about trying to be perfect

Homeschool should never mimic a school. There are just so many ways to approach homeschool, that the compulsory school isn’t something you have to refer to.

You got this!

But he said to me,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

Where we are weak, the Lord gives us strength to carry on.

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