BALANCING BEING A NEW MUM AND A STUDENT

By preparing during your pregnancy, you can make the transition into having a newborn and being a student easier. Reading this booklet is a good start! Please make sure to inform the Welfare Team of your pregnancy as soon as you can, so that we can support you throughout your pregnancy, and during your Maternity Leave.

Sleep

Being a student and a mum means that you will have to sacrifice your usual sleep routine in the night for taking care of your baby and studying at the same time. The best way of getting some sleep in the first few weeks of your baby being born, is by adjusting your sleeping schedules to your baby’s. In short, sleep whenever your baby sleeps. If you’d like to read more about sleep, please refer to the chapter “Mental Health and Wellbeing”, where we discuss “Sleep Hygiene”.

Staying organised

When you have a baby, it might seem like you don’t have enough time in the day to complete all the tasks. Here are some tips for you to help you manage all your daily responsibilities:

Make a schedule

Set a time for when you do your coursework, revision, etc. in the week, and try to stick to it. The same goes for time to spend with your family and friends, and the time to do your daily tasks.

Create a to-do-list

Knowing what exactly you need to do in the given day/week, can help you feel less overwhelmed and reduce stress. Put the most important thing at the top of the list and complete it first – completing your daily goals will give you a sense of achievement.

Set achievable goals

There is no point in giving yourself one day to finish your dissertation, because you will only set yourself up for failure and more stress. Instead, split big pieces of work into smaller, and more reasonable chunks which you know you can complete. Create small goals to reach the larger goal.

Create a separate workspace

Try to designate a place where you will only do work. Let your family know that this is your workspace and that when you are in it, you are not to be disturbed.

Establishing a Support Network

It is important to create a strong support network with people around you. This means you will have people who can support you- whether this be emotionally, with childcare arrangements or socially.

Creating these networks can be difficult, particularly if you have just moved to the UK. Below we have listed some ways you can start to create these networks.

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Course mates
  • Colleagues
  • Social media and online support groups
  • Local / Wider Community

You can also join the Parents Support Group on the Togetherall platform where you are able have peer support from other parents and caregivers who may be in the same situation as you. All you need to do is create an account with Togetherall and join the ‘Parents and Caregivers’ group by going to Community and joining the group.

Childcare

You are not allowed to bring your children to campus. If you do bring children on to campus, we will have to ask you to leave. We would encourage you to consider childcare arrangements as soon as you can, particularly as your due date starts to approach. This is important if you have a natural birth as you will then be left with only 2 weeks maternity leave to make these arrangements. Please use the GOV.uk website for advice around finding appropriate childcare.

Ulster University Sponsored Students

There has been changes to UKVI regulations regarding dependant VISA’s. We would encourage you to take some time to familiarise yourself with these changes, further information can be found in the link below:

Student visa: Your partner and children - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If you have further queries or questions you may want to speak with our Compliance Team or the helpline available on UKCISA: UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Contact us.

For further advise on this we would encourage you to seek independent immigration advice which you can find here: Find an immigration adviser:

Search for an adviser - GOV.UK www.gov.uk