By Katie Lieder

Contributing Reporter

We have all been there.

Pinching the last penny to pay student tuition, pulling overnight study sessions before eight-hour workdays, scheduling demanding classes around hectic lives.

Imagine doing all of this while pregnant.

The presence of student mothers and fathers at OU is just one of the many demographics that make up the unique student body.

Amy Peterson, 21, a junior communication major, knew after she took a pregnancy test that her life would be changing in a big way.

Peterson’s pregnancy, however, did not slow her down. In fact, it motivated her.

“Having a kid made me want to come to school,” Peterson said. “I wanted to provide for her, not be a financial failure.”

While pregnant, Peterson took 16 credits and worked full-time. She would often complete her homework at work or during breaks between classes.

“I even took an exam the day before I gave birth,” she said.  

After her daughter was born, Peterson had to cut her class load down to 12 credits.

She also works 38 hours each week at Grondin’s Hair Center in Lake Orion.

“The hardest thing is missing my daughter during the days I’m working or at school,” she said. “But I know I have to stay focused, finish school and earn some money in order to be there for her when it counts.”

Peterson and her boyfriend christened their daughter Charlotte Sue Smith, who is now one-and-a-half years old.  

According to Peterson, family members baby-sit when Peterson goes out.

“I don’t like to be away from her so often, so I try to stay home when I can,” she said.

Dana Muzia, 25, found out about her pregnancy after her boyfriend asked, “Aren’t you a bit late?”

Muzia’s pregnancy became so academically strenuous that she took time off.

“When you are pregnant, your memory just isn’t the same,” she said.

As her stomach grew, so did her discomfort level.

“There were days when I was just too swollen to come to class,” she said, “and the desks became too uncomfortable.”

When her son was born, Muzia returned to OU. She said the university offered her a social outlet.

“It was nice to come to class and talk to people my own age,” she said, “It felt like life was back to normal for a couple of hours and that really helped.”

Muzia’s fiancé watched their son while she went to school, but soon they had to pay a babysitter when he began working.

“It was tough financially but the worst part was when my son wouldn’t recognize me, when he would call me ‘daddy,'” she said.

Parenting became her priority and Muzia found little time for socializing.

“It was good in the way that it forced me to study,” she said, “but I had to wait until [my son] was asleep before I could accomplish anything.”

Muzia’s son, Sean Andrew Furance, will soon be turning two.

She graduated last semester with a communication degree and is currently a stay-at-home mom.

Apart from playing with Sean, Muzia spends her days planning for her upcoming wedding.

“If there’s anything I can say about having Sean it’s that he’s bettered me as a student, as an adult, and as a mother,” Muzia said.

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Are you an OU student parent? Share your experience handling family and school at our exclusive forum coming next week, right here on the Oakland Post Web site.