Delivering a baby a week before the exam – Should I take it or not???

I didn’t vote because I honestly have no idea which would be the best option for you! Only thing I can think of is that if you breast feed your baby, then you’ll have the pumping problem even for the Dec 2014 exam. As for the due date — is it going to be a scheduled C-section, or natural delivery? Because with natural deliveries, the due date is not exact, so you might have already given birth by the exam date, or you might have to go into the exam hall with a very pregnant belly, or you might go into labour the day before, or during the exam! So, no answers really. Sorry for being so unhelpful, but I’m genuinely at a loss.

Oh hey, just noticed that this is your second child. So you probably know all of the above.

I would say go for it because there is no penalty for failure (except the money you paid to write). If you don’t mind potentially having to pay for level 1 again then go for it!

Best thread ever.

A bit of trivia – it was a pregnant woman that got the CFA Institute to allow bathroom breaks during the exam (previously you weren’t even allowed them!).

I would say that since you’ve already fully registered it would be a shame not to try.

Also (importantly), do you need to do your pumping during the exam? Would it be possible to do it between sessions?

I would say GO FOR IT!!! Don’t consider your baby as an obstacle (which you obviously do not). I am sure your hubby is supportive by the way he is open to feeding. Level 1 is only MCQ and hence putting aside half an hour would not be a great loss (if you do need pumping). Considering you are well prepared and well practiced, you can very well cover up.
Give it your best shot and bless your baby. We all would be around to support!! 🙂

I’d say reschedule. Having helped my wife through 6 deliveries, I know she was in no condition to handle an exam like the CFA a week post-partum. I wouldn’t have been, either. Happy to discuss further if you’d like.

This question is tougher than the CFA itself! It’s hard to answer without knowing what one goes through physically and mentally!

Interesting breakdown, from what I can tell it’s women saying to go for it, while men are generally counselling to postpone. Any gender studies majors lurking here?

That’s a tough one. How good are you at working under pressure with sleep-deprivation?

If it were me (though I don’t have the qualifying anatomy) I’d study like mad and go for the June 14 exam, ensuring that you know everything perfectly.

Your background in accounting & corp. banking should help with FRA & Corp Finance, then if you can also smash (85%+) Ethics you will have three subjects (and 43% of total syllabus) under control.

Succeed at 85% on these areas and you are more than 50% of the way toward hitting a guaranteed pass (ie, 85% x 43% = 36.6%, (70-36.6)/70 = 52%). That gives you room to build a solid base in a few of the other core areas – say economics, equity and fixed interest, plus maybe some of the *easier* sections like alternatives.

By getting the exam out of the way in June 14 you then have a year to prep for Level 2 (which I believe is the most difficult of the exams – so I have read, I am studying for June14 L1). If you delay till Dec 14 then you risk not having enough time to study, tend to your baby, and be occasionally social.

Having just been through a birth(she’s six weeks today), it can do number on your body. My wife was not back to normal until a good 4 weeks after the delivery. At this time there are so many unknowns, will you have to be induced, need an epidural, c-section etc.. what if the baby is overdue and you go into labour in the exam… Now that would be a story.. (The proctor became a dr, and she delivered the baby with the exam booklet)

For your pregnancy, You may have morning sickness, food aversion,and lousy sleeps, and general tiredness not to mention all the medical checkups, hypertension, diabetes, and general baby prep from nesting to painting to how to pay for all of it if you live in the good ol youessofeh. Then there are issues that require bed rest,

Good solid Breastfeeding doesn’t usually kick in until a few weeks after delivery assuming your milk comes in as planned. Before that there are a lot frustrating feedings where you nor the baby can quite get it work.,If you bottle feed your partner can take over for the first few weeks but that would be a huge sacrifice, and it is a HUGE task regardless of who does it. Sleep deprivation is a form torture, and it does add up.

So you’ve had a trouble free pregnancy, short labour, delivered naturally, baby was on schedule, has a nice high apgar score, and sleeps like rip vanwinkle, your partner has agreed to feed the baby, and let you get on and get some sleep, but you’re now wracked with depression and guilt as your body flushes all the pregnancy hormones that have built up over the last nine months. Post partum depression is real and debilitating, but luckily lasts only a few weeks.

And I know it shouldn’t matter, but you will get a lot of funny looks if you tell people you’re taking the exam. As a society we are hardwired into certain beliefs about child rearing, and a mother who essentially not there for the first two weeks will send some people over the edge.

Now having said all of the above, I think it could be done, but I wanted to lay out a real assessment of what the first few weeks after are like.

My advice is to reschedule. The physical, emotional and mental toll of having a baby will severely impair your ability to focus and put your best effort into passing. There are just too many variables. What happens if you have a complicated delivery and need to stay in the hospital? What if your baby is late and you havent delivered yet? I know its not ideal that you already paid the fee but there is enough stress with a pregnancy that I cant imagine throwing the CFA on top of that. Enjoy your pregnancy, and enjoy your newborn and start fresh in the 2nd half of next year.

I’ll sticking to my call… do it! Then if you need to re-sit you can do it in Dec 14, and maybe have time to study for L2 in June 15 (besides, if you defer and then stuff up in Dec 14 you’re going to end up a year behind)

I’d still say go ahead!! If u wud want to postpone..u can always do it later near the exam considering your state then. Plus after the birth u myt not have time for the exam and might want to concentrate on your baby.

If you read your study materials out-loud your baby might be a finance prodigy?

@Mattyc’s concerns are valid. I’d say continue studying anyway and closer to the date you’ll know if you’re in a good condition (physically and mentally) to take the exam. The dates are uncertain, so it could work out in the CFA exam’s favour. But if it doesn’t, just postpone it.